40 THE MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 



this little piece of advice : don't assume the part of assassin and 

 bully by plotting against the life of an innocent man, who is 

 your superior in every point but one — villany ! n 



"Oh, indeed, Miss Markham, you are in a particularly 

 facetious humour this evening ; but suppose I were to insinuate 

 that a certain very gifted and highly accomplished young lady 

 thought more deeply than people imagine of a certain person, 

 whose great recommendation lies in chasing those poor devils of 

 foxes to death, and whose proficiency in dog language, to the 

 exclusion of every other, is notorious." 



" You may insinuate what you please, Mr. Vernon ; but 

 facts are stubborn things, and two or three little transactions of 

 yours have come to my knowledge, which shall be certainly 

 disclosed when Mr. Vernon dares to apply any insulting terms 

 either to William Beauchamp or your humble servant ; " with 

 which, making him a low curtsey, she haughtily turned on her 



heel. 



"Ah, I see," muttered Vernon to himself, "that d d 



fool, her brother, has been letting the cat out of the bag, so now 

 I must try another game ; " with which purpose he crossed the 

 room and joined Mrs. Harcourt, whose glances towards the sofa, 

 where Mrs. Gordon, Blanche, and Beauchamp were sitting, re- 

 vealed the nature of her thoughts. 



"Well, Mrs. Harcourt," he inquired, noticing her dis- 

 satisfied looks, "have I misrepresented matters in that 

 quarter 1 ' 



" A little exaggerated, I should hope, though not perhaps 

 intentional ; but Mrs. Gordon is well aware of our views with 

 regard to her niece." The latter part of her speech was 

 delivered as a check to Mr. Vernon's future attentions to 

 Blanche, which Mrs. Harcourt had observed more than once 

 before, and particularly at dinner that evening — so that the 

 crafty plotter received a rebuke where he least expected one. 



Whilst we have been relating these conversations, the com- 

 pany had been enlivened by music and singing, the principal 

 performers being Miss Caroline Markham, Constance, and two 

 Misses Bolleston, with Captain Markham and Robert Conyers ; 

 and the evening thus passed pleasantly away, without further 

 incidents, until the carriages were announced. 



During their drive home, Constance rallied her brother on 

 his abstraction, saying, " We have gone at least three miles, 

 William, and three words have not passed your lips ; what are 

 you thinking of, my sapient brother % " 



