"But this fellow! I cannot bring myself to believe that you really
care for him."

"He has a good income of his own, while Houston was little better
than a beggar."

"I'm glad of that," said Sir Thomas, "because there will be something
for you to live upon. I can assure you that Captain Batsby will never
get a shilling of my money. Now, you had better finish dressing
yourself, and come down and eat your dinner with me if you've got any
appetite. You will have to go back to Dover by the boat to-night."

"May Ben dine with us?" asked Gertrude, timidly.

"Ben may go to the d----. At any rate he had better not show himself
to me again," said Sir Thomas.

The lovers, however, did get an opportunity of exchanging a few
words, during which it was settled between them that as the young
lady must undoubtedly obey her father's behests, and return to Dover
that night, it would be well for Captain Batsby to remain behind at
Ostend. Indeed, he spoke of making a little tour as far as Brussels,
in order that he might throw off the melancholy feelings which had
been engendered. "You will come to me again, Ben," she said. Upon
this he looked very grave. "You do not mean to say that after all
this you will desert me?"

"He has insulted me so horribly!"

"What does that signify? Of course he is angry. If you could only
hear how he has insulted me."

"He says that you were in love with somebody else not a month since."

"So were you, Ben, for the matter of that." He did, however, before
they parted, make her a solemn promise that their engagement should
remain an established fact, in spite both of father and mother.

Gertrude, who had now recovered the effects of her
sea-sickness,--which, however, she would have to encounter again
so very quickly,--contrived to eat a hearty dinner with her father.
There, however, arose a little trouble. How should she contrive to
pack up the clothes which she had brought with her, and which had
till lately been mixed with the Captain's garments. She did, however,
at last succeed in persuading the chamber-maid to furnish her with
a carpet-bag, with which in her custody she arrived safely on the
following day at Merle Park.

CHAPTER XLIX.

THE NEW FROCK.

Ayala's arrival at Stalham was full of delight to her. There was
Nina with all her new-fledged hopes and her perfect assurance in the
absolute superiority of Lord George Bideford to any other man either
alive or dead. Ayala was qui