cipe," said Aurelia. "Here it is." And she put into
Loveday's hand a yellow letter, bearing the title in scribbled writing,
"_Poure Embellire et blanchire la Pel, de part de Maistre Raoul,
Parfumeur de la Royne Catherine_."

CHAPTER XXXII. LIONS.

The helmet of darkness Pallas donned,
To hide her presence from the sight of man.
_Derby's_ HOMER.

The next morning Loveday returned with orders from Lady Belamour that
Miss Delavie should translate the French recipe, and make a fair copy
of it. It was not an easy task, for the MS. was difficult and the French
old; whereas Aurelia lived on the modern side of the _Acadamie_, her
French was that of Fenelon and Racine.

However, she went to work as best she could in her cool corner, guessing
at many of the words by lights derived from _Comenius_, and had just
made out that the chief ingredients were pounded pearls and rubies,
mixed with white of eggs laid by pullets under a year old, during the
waxing of the April moon, when she heard voices chattering in the hall,
and a girlish figure appeared in a light cloak and calash, whom Loveday
seemed to be guiding, and yet keeping as much repressed as she could.

"Gracious Heavens!" were the first words to be distinguished; "what a
frightful old place; enough to make one die of the dismals! I won't
live here when I'm married, I promise Sir Amyas! Bless me, is this the
wench?"

"Your Ladyship promised to be careful," entreated Loveday, while Aurelia
rose, with a graceful gesture of acknowledgment, which, however remained
unnoticed, the lady apparently considering herself unseen.

"Who are these little girls?" asked she, in a giggling whisper. "Little
Waylands? Then it is true," she cried, with a peal of shrill laughter.
"There are three of them, only Lady Belamour shuts them up like
kittens--I wonder she did not. Oh, what sport! Won't I tease her now
that I know her secret!"

"Your ladyship!" intreated Loveday in distress in an audible aside, "you
will undo me." Then coming forward, she said, "You did not expect me
at this hour, madam; but if your French copy be finished, my Lady would
like to have it at once."

"I have written it out once as well as I could," said Aurelia, "but I
have not translated it; I will find the copy."

She rose and found the stranger full before her in the doorway, gazing
at her with an enormous pair of sloe-black eyes, under heavy inky bro