as her worst enemies. Colonel
Francis Esmond, my lord's cousin and her ladyship's, who had married the
Dean of Winchester's daughter, and, since King James's departure out of
England, had lived not very far away from Hexton town, hearing of his
kinswoman's strait, and being friends with Colonel Brice, commanding for
King William in Hexton, and with the Church dignitaries there, came to
visit her ladyship in prison, offering to his uncle's daughter any
friendly services which lay in his power. And he brought his lady and
little daughter to see the prisoner, to the latter of whom, a child of
great beauty, and many winning ways, the old viscountess took not a little
liking, although between her ladyship and the child's mother there was
little more love than formerly. There are some injuries which women never
forgive one another; and Madam Francis Esmond, in marrying her cousin, had
done one of those irretrievable wrongs to Lady Castlewood. But as she was
now humiliated, and in misfortune, Madam Francis could allow a truce to
her enmity, and could be kind for a while, at least, to her husband's
discarded mistress. So the little Beatrix, her daughter, was permitted
often to go and visit the imprisoned viscountess, who, in so far as the
child and its father were concerned, got to abate in her anger towards
that branch of the Castlewood family. And the letters of Colonel Esmond
coming to light, as has been said, and his conduct being known to the
king's council, the colonel was put in a better position with the existing
Government than he had ever before been; any suspicions regarding his
loyalty were entirely done away; and so he was enabled to be of more
service to his kinswoman than he could otherwise have been.

And now there befell an event by which this lady recovered her liberty,
and the house of Castlewood got a new owner, and fatherless little Harry
Esmond a new and most kind protector and friend. Whatever that secret was
which Harry was to hear from my lord, the boy never heard it; for that
night when Father Holt arrived, and carried my lord away with him, was the
last on which Harry ever saw his patron. What happened to my lord may be
briefly told here. Having found the horses at the place where they were
lying, my lord and Father Holt rode together to Chatteris, where they had
temporary refuge with one of the father's penitents in that city; but the
pursuit being hot for them, and the reward for the apprehension of o