e damsel's heart, and convince her that all censure of
Lady Belamour was vile slander. The children were sent for, and Amoret
was called on to show how Cousin Aurelia had taught her to dance,
sing and recite. The tiny minuet performed by her and Archer was an
exceedingly pretty exhibition as far as it went, but the boy had no
patience to conclude, and jumped off into an extemporary _pas seul_,
which was still prettier, and as Amoret was sole exhibitor of the
repetition of Hay's "Hare and many friends," he became turbulent after
the first four lines, and put a stop to the whole.

Then came in a tall, large, handsome, dashing-looking man, with the air
of a "_beau sabreur_," whom Lady Belamour presented to her cousins as
"Colonel Mar, my son's commandant, you know who has been kind enough to
take Carminster on his way, so as to escort me to the Bath. I am such
a sad coward about highwaymen. And we are to meet dear Lady Aresfield
there to talk over a little matter of business."

Colonel Mar made a magnificent bow, carelessly, not to say
impertinently, scanned the two ladies, and having evidently decided they
had neither beauty nor fashion to attract him, caught up little Amy in
his arms, and began to play a half teasing, half caressing game with the
children. Betty thought it high time to be gone, and as she took leave,
was requested to send up her little brother to play with his cousins.
This did not prove a success, for Eugene constituted himself champion to
Amoret, of whom Archer was very jealous, though she was his devoted
and submissive slave. Master Delavie's rustic ways were in consequence
pronounced to be too rude and rough for the dainty little town-bred boy,
the fine ladies' pet.

The Major dined at the Great House, but came home so much dismayed and
disgusted that he could hardly mention even to Betty what he had seen
and heard. He only groaned out at intervals, "This is what the service
is coming to! That fop to be that poor lad's commanding officer! That
rake to be always hovering about my cousin!"

Others spoke out more plainly. Stories were afloat or orgies ending
in the gallant Colonel being under the supper table, a thing only too
common, but not in the house of a solitary lady who had only lately
quitted the carousers. Half the dependants on the estate were
complaining of the guest's swaggering overbearing treatment of
themselves, or of his insolence to their wives or daughters; and
Betty lived in a dr