ck
should be discovered there would be unmeasured wrath. "Why the deuce
don't you let the two men come, and then the best man may win!"
said Sir Harry, who did not doubt but that, in such a case, the
Colonel would prove to be the best man. Here too there was another
difficulty. When Lady Albury attempted to explain that Ayala would
not come unless she were told that she would not meet the Captain,
Sir Harry declared that there should be no such favour. "Who the
deuce is this little girl," he asked, "that everybody should be
knocked about in this way for her?" Lady Albury was able to pacify
the husband, but she feared that any pacifying of the Captain would
be impossible. There would be a family quarrel;--but even that must
be endured for the Colonel's sake.

In the meantime the Captain was kept in absolute ignorance of Ayala's
movements, and went down to Merle Park hoping to meet her there.
He must have been very much in love, for Merle Park was by no
means a spot well adapted for hunting. Hounds there were in the
neighbourhood, but he turned up his nose at the offer when Sir Thomas
suggested that he might bring down a hunter. Captain Batsby, when he
went on hunting exhibitions, never stirred without five horses, and
always confined his operations to six or seven favoured counties. But
Ayala just at present was more to him than hunting, and therefore,
though it was now the end of February, he went to Merle Park.

"It was all Sir Thomas's doing." It was thus that Lady Tringle
endeavoured to console herself when discussing the matter with her
daughters. The Honourable Septimus Traffick had now gone up to
London, and was inhabiting a single room in the neighbourhood of the
House. Augusta was still at Merle Park, much to the disgust of her
father. He did not like to tell her to be gone; and would indeed have
been glad enough of her presence had it not been embittered by the
feeling that he was being "done." But there she remained, and in
discussing the affairs of the Captain with her mother and Gertrude
was altogether averse to the suggested marriage for Ayala. To her
thinking Ayala was not entitled to a husband at all. Augusta had
never given way in the affair of Tom;--had declared her conviction
that Stubbs had never been in earnest; and was of opinion that
Captain Batsby would be much better off at Merle Park without Ayala
than he would have been in that young lady's presence. When he
arrived nothing was said to him a