dy was as bad as the
lions; while Aurelia, glowing with shame and resentment at what she felt
as insults, had a misgiving that her protector had been the worse lion
of the two.

She had no explanation of the invasion till the next morning, when
Loveday appeared full of excuses and apologies. From the fact of
Lady Aresfield's carriage having been used on Aurelia's arrival, her
imprisonment was known, and Lady Belle, spending a holiday at Lady
Belamour's, had besieged Loveday with entreaties to take her to see her
rival. As the waiting-woman said, for fear of the young lady's violent
temper, but more probably in consideration of her bribes, she had
yielded, hoping that Lady Belle would be satisfied with a view from the
window, herself unseen. However, from that moment all had been taken out
of the hands of Loveday, and she verily believed the Colonel had made
following his sister an excuse for catching a sight of Miss Delavie, for
he had been monstrously smitten even with the glimpse he had had of her
in the carriage. And now, as his sister had cut short what he had
to say, he had written her a billet. And Loveday held out a perfumed
letter.

Aurelia's eyes flashed, and she drew herself up: "You forget, Loveday, I
promised to receive no letters!"

"Bless me, ma'am, they, that are treated as my lady treats you, are not
bound to be so particular as that."

"O fie, Loveday," said Aurelia earnestly, "you have been so kind, that I
thought you would be faithful. This is not being faithful to your lady,
nor to me."

"It is only from my wish to serve you, ma'am," said Loveday in her
fawning voice. "How can I bear to see a beautiful young lady like you,
that ought to be the star of all the court, mewed up here for the sake
of a young giddy pate like his Honour, when there's one of the first
gentlemen in the land ready to be at your feet?"

"For shame! for shame!" exclaimed Aurelia, crimson already. "You know I
am married."

"And you will not take the letter, nor see what the poor gentleman
means? May be he wants to reconcile you with my lady, and he has power
with her."

Aurelia took the letter, and, strong paper though it was, tore it across
and across till it was all in fragments, no bigger than daisy flowers.
"There," she said, "you may tell him what I have done to his letter."

Loveday stared for a minute, then exclaimed, "You are in the right, my
dear lady. Oh, I am a wretch--a wretch--" and she went away sobbing.