r and driven
her away with contumely.

Sir Amyas and the Major were not sparing of interjections, and the
former hoped that his uncle had told them what they deserved.

"Thereby only incurring the more compassion," said Mr. Belamour, dryly,
and going on to say that he had extended his inquires to Sedhurst, and
had heard of her visit to Dame Wheatfield; also, that the good woman,
going to seek her at the church, had found only the basket with the
guineas in the paper. She had regarded this merely as a wrapper,
and, being unable to read, had never noticed the writing, but she
had fortunately preserved it, and Mr. Belamour thus learnt Aurelia's
intention of throwing herself on Lady Belamour's mercy.

"My mother utterly denied all knowledge of her, when I cried out in
anguish when she came to see me!" said Sir Amyas.

"So she does to Hargrave, whom she sent off to interrogate Mrs. Arden,"
said Mr. Belamour.

"Have you any reason to think the child could have reached my Lady?"
inquired Betty, seeing that none of the gentlemen regarded my Lady's
denials as making any difference to their belief, though not one of them
chose to say so.

"Merely negative evidence," said Mr. Belamour. "I find that no one
in the house actually beheld the departure of my Lady on that Sunday
afternoon. The little girls had been found troublesome, and sent out
into the park with Molly, and my nephew was giving full employment to
Jumbo and Mrs. Aylward in my room. The groom, who was at the horses'
heads, once averred that he saw two women get into the carriage
besides her ladyship; but he is such a sodden confused fellow, and so
contradicts himself, that I can make nothing of him."

"He would surely know his young mistress," said Sir Amyas.

"Perhaps not in the camlet hood, which Dame Wheatfield says she wore."

"Was good old Dove acting as coachman?" said Betty. "We should learn
something from him."

"It was not her own coach," said Mr. Belamour. "All the servants were
strangers, the liveries sanguine, and the panels painted with helmets
and trophies."

"Mar's," said Sir Amyas, low and bitterly.

"I guessed as much," said his uncle. "It was probably chosen on purpose,
if the child has friends in your own household."

"Then I must demand her," said the Major. "She cannot be denied to her
father."

"At any rate we must go to town to-morrow," said Mr. Belamour. "We have
done all we can here."

"Let us send for horses and go on at onc