170 THE MASTEE OF THE IIOI3DS. 



" Agreed, aunt ; we will Lave a regular night of it at the 

 Priory on Monday, won't we, Bob 1 " 



" Ay, ay, Malcolm ; and raise such a din as to astonish the 

 quiet inmates of that most respectable establishment." 



The next morning, Mrs. Gordon, with Blanche, called on the 

 Harcourts, by whom they were received much more graciously 

 than they expected, with many professions of regret for the 

 untoward event which had. occurred ; but to their proposal of 

 Blanche returning again to Throseby, Mrs. Gordon decidedly 

 objected, "Poor girl!" she said; "she has not yet recovered 

 the shock of that night, and never moves out in the carriage, 

 or on foot, without a guard to protect her from further 

 outrage." 



" Surely there can be necessity for such supervision," replied 

 Mrs. Harconrt, "as it is reported Lord Yancourt was seriously 

 wounded, and therefore must be unable to renew the attempt, 

 even were he so disposed, which I think highly improbable." 



" We have very good authority for believing Lord Mervyn 

 was equally concerned in the plot," replied Mrs. Gordon ; "and 

 it is not improbable that other agents may be employed to carry 

 out the designs of these honourable noblemen, who are a disgrace 

 to the peerage." 



" I have been assured by Lord Mervyn," said Mrs. Harcourt,. 

 "to whom I wrote for an explanation, that his men were 

 employed by Lord Yancourt without his knowledge." 



" Which we can prove," retorted Mrs. Gordon, " is a great 

 falsehood ; as my Lord Mervyn was himself the originator and 

 concocter of this disgraceful scheme, and Lord Yancourt a too 

 willing tool in his hands ; that's what we know, Mr. Harcourt, 

 and are prepared to prove at the trial ; and it is infamous that 

 a married man like Lord Mervyn, with children, should have 

 entered into such a vile conspiracy to ruin a poor defenceless 

 girl. We know all about it, Mr. Harcourt, and that this Lord 

 Yancourt was invited down to the Castle for the express pur- 

 pose of carrying off' your ward, and that Lord Mervyn knew 

 him to be a poor, good-for-nothing, fortune-hunting rake about 

 town. The whole thing was planned by Lord Mervyn and Mr. 

 Harley (whom you will remember meeting at the Castle, and 

 who was purposely instructed to laud this Lord Yancourt, and 

 represent him as a person of high character and large fortune) ; 

 these two, with that worthy person, Bichard Yernon, arranged 

 the whole proceedings ; and as all this will come out upon the 

 trial, Mr. Harcourt — if you have any regard for your own posi- 



