“A vast deal in my favour, if you be, my young lady,” replied her challenger, with a mock wave of his hand, and a flourish of his hat revealing the absence of a wig, “scratch” or “bag,” to hide the thin and almost white hair of a head which had been blanched betimes in the ways of vice. “I wish you to tell me if Mrs. Die Godwin has come here. I have the strongest and tenderest reasons for the inquiry,” he protested, with a loud laugh. Then this was her aunt Die’s terrible suitor, whom her Uncle Godwin had destroyed? This was that Cholmondely who would not leave off seeking revenge, after the cruel kindness of the Godwins had changed to hardly more cruel hatred, by flaunting his degradation in Mrs. Die’s face, and persecuting her with her old letters and love-tokens, and wringing money from the woman who detested and spurned him? Lady Bell had heard that he had threatened to blow out either his own or his mistress’s brains—it was a toss up which; but as she would be only too glad to get rid of him, he rather thought the lady’s brains would have the preference. Perhaps he had a pistol beneath his cloak at this moment, and might begin by practising his aim on Lady Bell. She gave a gasp before she delivered her answer—“When I quitted Mrs. Die she was sitting on the terrace with the main part of the company.” “By heavens, that will not serve my purpose!” swore the man; then he added, either by way of intimidation, or because he was three-fourths desperate and dangerous, “I wonder how it would do to take you in her stead,” and caught Lady Bell by the wrist. “Unhand me, unhand me, sir!” cried Lady Bell, striving to free her hand, and when she did not succeed, uttering a shrill scream before the man could clap his hand on her mouth. To Lady Bell’s unbounded relief the scream brought a champion to her aid without a moment’s delay. A gentleman, who must have been walking behind her, ran forward, shouting, “Leave alone the lady!” then, as a recognition ensued, he vociferated, “Be off with you, Will Cholmondely; I have screened you as a fallen gentleman in distress, before now, but if it has come to this, that you are to fright and prey on ladies in public places, I’ll have nothing more to say to you. I’ll have you up to justice myself.” Cholmondely growled something, half inaudibly, of not designing the young lady any harm, of having as good a right to be there as any Bully Trevor, of Trevor Court, among them. He slunk away, nevertheless, and left Lady Bell to her deliverer. This gentleman, so well met, ought to have been long of wind as of leg, befitting the young prince come to the rescue of the young princess. On the contrary, however, he was finding as much difficulty, though the impeding cause was different, in recovering his breath, as Lady Bell was finding in recovering hers.