n empty carriage arrived at the villa.
A note from Mr. Restall was delivered to Mrs. Atherton, thanking
her with perfect politeness for her kindness to his daughter.
"Circumstances," he added, "rendered it necessary that Miss Restall
should return home that afternoon."

The "circumstances" were supposed to refer to a garden-party to be given
by Mr. Restall in the ensuing week. But why was his daughter wanted at
home before the day of the party?

The ladies of the family, still devoted to Cosway's interests,
entertained no doubt that Mrs. Margery had privately communicated with
Mr. Restall, and that the appearance of the carriage was the natural
result. Mrs. Atherton's married daughter did all that could be done: she
got rid of Mrs. Margery for one minute, and so arranged it that Cosway
and Miss Restall took leave of each other in her own sitting-room.

When the young lady appeared in the hall she had drawn her veil down.
Cosway escaped to the road and saw the last of the carriage as it drove
away. In a little more than a fortnight his horror of a second marriage
had become one of the dead and buried emotions of his nature. He stayed
at the villa until Monday morning, as an act of gratitude to his good
friends, and then accompanied Mr. Atherton to London. Business at the
Admiralty was the excuse. It imposed on nobody. He was evidently on his
way to Miss Restall.

"Leave your business in my hands," said the lawyer, on the journey to
town, "and go and amuse yourself on the Continent. I can't blame you for
falling in love with Miss Restall; I ought to have foreseen the danger,
and waited till she had left us before I invited you to my house. But I
may at least warn you to carry the matter no further. If you had eight
thousand instead of eight hundred a year, Mr. Restall would think it an
act of presumption on your part to aspire to his daughter's hand, unless
you had a title to throw into the bargain. Look at it in the true
light, my dear boy; and one of these days you will thank me for speaking
plainly."

Cosway promised to "look at it in the true light."

The result, from his point of view, led him into a change of residence.
He left his hotel and took a lodging in the nearest bystreet to Mr.
Restall's palace at Kensington.

On the same evening he applied (with the confidence due to a previous
arrangement) for a letter at the neighboring post-office, addressed to
E. C.--the initials of Edwin Cosway. "Pray be caref