and a year.' 'But, he has not asked me,' said
I, laughing. Ridout turned away without a word. Half an hour later, Mr.
Adderley Twining formally proposed for my hand, and was accepted."

"And Jack Ridout is now the Marquis of Allerton," said Lady Lackington.

"I know it!" said the other, bitterly.

"With nigh forty thousand a year."

"I know it!" cried she, again.

"And the handsomest house and the finest park in England."

The other burst into tears, and hid her face between her hands.

"There's a fate in these things, my dear," said Lady Lackington, with
a slight paleness creeping over her cheek. "That's all we can say about
them."

"What have you done with that sweet place in Hampshire?"

"Dingley? It is let to Lord Mauley."

"And you had a house in St. James's-square."

"It is Burridge's Hotel, now."

Lady Lackington fanned her swarthy face for some seconds, and then said,
"And how did you come here?"

"We saw--that is, Twining saw--an advertisement of this new
establishment in the _Galignani_. We had just arrived at Liege, when
he discovered a vetturino returning to Milan with an empty carriage;
he accordingly bargained with him to take us on here--I forget for
what sum--so that we left our own carriage, and half my luggage, at the
Pavilion Hotel, and set off on our three weeks' journey. We have been
three weeks all but two days on the road! My maid of course refused to
travel in this fashion, and went back to Paris. Courcel, his own man,
rebelled too, which Twining, I must say, seemed overjoyed at, and gave
him such a character for honesty in consequence, as he never could have
hoped for; and so we came on, with George the footman, and a Belgian
creature I picked up at the hotel, who, except to tear out my hair when
she brushes it, and bruise me whenever she hooks a dress, has really no
other gift under heaven."

"And you actually came all this way by vetturino?"

Lady Grace nodded a sad assent, and sighed deeply.

"What does he mean by it, my dear? The man must have some deep,
insidious design in all this;--don't you think so?"

"I think to myself, sometimes," replied she, sorrowfully. And now their
eyes met, and they remained looking steadily at each other for some
seconds. Whatever Lady Grace's secret thoughts, or whatever the dark
piercing orbs of her companion served to intimate, true is it that she
blushed till her cheek became crimson; and as she arose, and walked out
upon the terrace, h