art.

Almost all the Courcy world were assembled in the drawing-room as
she now walked into the room with Crosbie at her heels. When she
found herself near the crowd she turned round, and addressed him in
a voice more audible than that generally required for purposes of
drawing-room conversation. "Mr Crosbie," she said, "have you heard
lately from our dear friend, Lily Dale?" And she looked him full in
the face, in a manner more significant, probably, than even she had
intended it to be. There was, at once, a general hush in the room,
and all eyes were turned upon her and upon him.

Crosbie instantly made an effort to bear the attack gallantly, but he
felt that he could not quite command his colour, or prevent a sudden
drop of perspiration from showing itself upon his brow. "I had a
letter from Allington yesterday," he said. "I suppose you have heard
of your brother's encounter with the bull?"

"The bull!" said Lady Julia. And it was instantly manifest to all
that her attack had been foiled and her flank turned.

"Good gracious! Lady Julia, how very odd you are!" said the countess.

"But what about the bull?" asked the Honourable George.

"It seems that the earl was knocked down in the middle of one of his
own fields."

"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Alexandrina. And sundry other exclamations were
made by all the assembled ladies.

"But he wasn't hurt," said Crosbie. "A young man named Eames seems to
have fallen from the sky and carried off the earl on his back."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" growled the other earl, as he heard of the
discomfiture of his brother peer.

Lady Julia, who had received her own letters that day from Guestwick,
knew that nothing of importance had happened to her brother; but she
felt that she was foiled for that time.

"I hope that there has not really been any accident," said Mr
Gazebee, with a voice of great solicitude.

"My brother was quite well last night, thank you," said she. And then
the little groups again formed themselves, and Lady Julia was left
alone on the corner of a sofa.

"Was that all an invention of yours, sir?" said Alexandrina to
Crosbie.

"Not quite. I did get a letter this morning from my friend Bernard
Dale,--that old harridan's nephew; and Lord De Guest has been worried
by some of his animals. I wish I had told her that his stupid old
neck had been broken."

"Fie, Mr Crosbie!"

"What business has she to interfere with me?"

"But I mean to ask the same question that