e qua nons_, as Coleman
calls them."

"Time will show," rejoined Lawless, turning towards the door, which
opened at this moment to admit Mr. Vernor; and, alas! him only.

His reception of us, though perfectly easy and well-bred, was anything
but agreeable or encouraging. He answered our inquiries after Miss
Saville's health by informing us, cursorily, that no ill effects had
ensued from her alarm of the previous evening. He received Lawless's
apologies with a calm, half-ironical smile, and an assurance that they
were not required; and he slightly thanked me for my obliging assistance
in words perfectly unexceptionable in themselves, but which, from a
peculiarity in the tone of voice more than anything else, impressed one
with a sense of insult rather than of compliment. Still, in compliance
with certain expressive looks from Lawless, who evidently was most
unwilling to be convinced of the failure of his little bit of diplomacy,
I used every means I could think of to prolong the visit. I first
admired, then criticised, the carving of the chimney-piece; I dived
into a ~149~~book of prints which lay upon the table, and prosed about
mezzo-tint and line engraving, and bored myself, and of course my
hearers also, till our powers of endurance were taxed almost beyond
their strength; and, at last, having completely exhausted not only my
small-talk, but my entire stock of conversation of all sorts and sizes,
I was regularly beaten to a stand-still, and obliged to take refuge
in alternately teasing and caressing a beautiful black and tan setter,
which seemed the only member of the party thoroughly sociable and at his
ease.

At length it became apparent even to Lawless himself that the visit
could not be protracted longer, and we accordingly rose and took our
leave, our host (I will not call him entertainer, for it would be a
complete misnomer) preserving the same tone of cool and imperturbable
politeness to the very last. On reaching the hall we encountered the
surly old footman, whose features looked more than ever as if they had
been carved out of some very hard species of wood.

"I say, old boy, where's the young lady, eh?" exclaimed Lawless, as soon
as he caught sight of him; "she never showed so much as the tip of her
nose in the room; how was that, eh?"

"If she com'd into the room when gentlemen was calling, master would eat
her without salt," was the reply.

"Which fact you were perfectly aware of when you took my