d having written a line on my card,
requesting Lord Kilkee to come to me as soon as he could, despatched it
to the Rue de la Paix. The messenger soon returned with an answer,
that Lord Kilkee had been obliged to leave Paris late the evening before,
having received some important letters from Baden. My anxiety now became
greater. I did not know but that the moment I ventured to leave the
hotel I should be recognised by some of the witnesses of the evening's
fray; and all thoughts of succouring poor O'Leary were completely
forgotten in my fear for the annoyances the whole of this ridiculous
affair might involve me in. Without any decision as to my future steps,
I dressed myself, and proceeded to pay my respects to Mrs. Bingham and
her daughter, who were in the same hotel, and whom I had not seen since
our arrival.

As I entered the drawing-room, I was surprised to find Miss Bingham
alone. She appeared to have been weeping--at least the efforts she made
to appear easy and in good spirits contrasted a good deal with the
expression of her features as I came in. To my inquiries for Mrs.
Bingham, I received for answer that the friends Mrs. Bingham had expected
having left a few days before for Baden, she had resolved on following
them, and had now merely driven out to make a few purchases before her
departure, which was to take place in the morning.

There is something so sad in the thought of being deserted and left by
one's friends under any circumstances, that I cannot express how much
this intelligence affected me. It seemed, too, like the last stroke of
bad news filling up the full measure, that I was to be suddenly deprived
of the society of the very few friends about me, just as I stood most in
need of them.

Whether or not Miss Bingham noticed my embarrassment, I cannot say;
but certainly she seemed not displeased, and there was in the
half-encouraging tone of her manner something which led me to suspect
that she was not dissatisfied with the impression her news seemed to
produce upon me.

Without at all alluding to my own improved fortune, or to the events
of the preceding night, I began to talk over the coming journey, and
expressed my sincere regret that, having lost my passport under
circumstances which might create some delay in retrieving it, I could
not join their party as I should otherwise have done.

Miss Bingham heard this speech with rather more emotion than so simple a
declaration was calculat