To account for the unexpected appearance of Lord Osselstone and Mordaunt together at Lady Eltondale's party, it will be necessary briefly to mention, that, soon after Augustus had left Mrs. Galton at Bath, the Earl had arrived there, and accidentally renewed their acquaintance. The frequent opportunity of intercourse, which all such places afford, having produced a degree of unexpected association between her and the Earl, it was not unnatural, that the nephew of the one and the favourite of the other should frequently become the subject of their discourse; and Mrs. Galton delighted in expatiating on the fine character of her dear Augustus, with whom she kept up a constant and confidential correspondence. There were few characters so much respected by Lord Osselstone as that of Mrs. Galton. Candour and simplicity were the qualities of all others, which, by not calling forth from him the defensive armour of distrust and penetration, left his heart more open to the impressions of real worth. The Earl knew that on common subjects Mrs. Galton could have no interest in appearing to him other than she really was; and on the subject of Augustus in particular, though he sometimes mentally accused her of exaggeration, he was perfectly convinced she was uniformly sincere. She once, in her zealous friendship, communicated to his Lordship a part of Augustus' correspondence with herself; and to this transcript of his mind, which was incontestably written without design of being read by a third person, did Lord Osselstone give more credit than to her partial representation of the original. The consequence of these communications became afterwards apparent. Lord Osselstone soon removed to London; and one day meeting Augustus in the street, he accosted him with so much of the _suaviter in modo_, that his at first unbending pride was finally subdued. For never yet had Lord Osselstone encountered a rock which he could not dissolve, though by more dulcet means than those attributed to the Carthaginian hero; and the Alpine snow, which had hitherto enveloped both uncle and nephew, being once thawed, a frequency of intercourse, as unsought as unexpected on the part of Mordaunt, had taken place between them: not that they were yet intimate, or appeared likely to become so. A certain magic circle seemed to surround Lord Osselstone; and though the politeness and condescension of his manners attracted others to its very verge, there was still a secondary, though invisible repulsive power, that forbade approach beyond its well defined limits.