sands at Yarmouth, though he wore the
same jacket and waistcoat, and must now have enjoyed the internal
satisfaction of feeling that his future maintenance in life was
assured to him. But he was not at his ease. His courage had sufficed
to enable him to follow his quarry into Westmoreland, but it did not
suffice to make him comfortable while he was there. Kate instantly
perceived his condition, and wickedly resolved that she would make no
effort to assist him. She went through some ceremony of introduction,
and then expressed her surprise at seeing him so far north.

"Well," said he; "I am a little surprised myself;--I am, indeed! But
I had nothing to do in Norwich,--literally nothing; and your aunt had
so often talked to me of the beauties of this place,"--and he waved
his hand round at the old house and the dark trees,--"that I thought
I'd take the liberty of paying you a flying visit. I didn't mean to
intrude in the way of sleeping; I didn't indeed, Miss Vavasor; only
Mrs Greenow has been so kind as to say--"

"We are so very far out of the world, Captain Bellfield, that we
always give our visitors beds."

"I didn't intend it; I didn't indeed, miss!" Poor Captain Bellfield
was becoming very uneasy in his agitation. "I did just put my bag,
with a change of things, into the gig, which brought me over, not
knowing quite where I might go on to."

"We won't send you any further to-day, at any rate," said Kate.

"Mrs Greenow has been very kind,--very kind, indeed. She has asked me
to stay till--Saturday!"

Kate bit her lips in a momentary fit of anger. The house was her
house, and not her aunt's. But she remembered that her aunt had been
kind to her at Norwich and at Yarmouth, and she allowed this feeling
to die away. "We shall be very glad to see you," she said. "We are
three women together here, and I'm afraid you will find us rather
dull."

"Oh dear, no,--dull with you! That would be impossible!"

"And how have you left your friend, Mr Cheesacre?"

"Quite well;--very well, thank you. That is to say, I haven't seen
him much lately. He and I did have a bit of a breeze, you know."

"I can't say that I did know, Captain Bellfield."

"I thought, perhaps, you had heard. He seemed to think that I was too
particular in a certain quarter! Ha--ha--ha--ha! That's only my joke,
you know, ladies."

They then went into the house, and the Captain straggled in after
them. Mrs Greenow was in neither of the two sitting-ro