But, setting aside the interest which this unexpected recognition inspired--the encouragement that smile, as on the former occasion just mentioned, tended to convey--Mary Seaham felt--considering the many secret thoughts and feelings which in her idle moments she had once wasted on this--the almost, it might be said, ideal hero of her imagination--wonderfully little affected by the fact of his real substantial embodiment--not more so perhaps, than one might be who awakens from a series of fanciful dreams to see the object who has played therein the most fantastic and highly coloured part, standing, divested of all supernatural and exaggerated characteristics, before his eyes; and with a smile, almost as quiet and confiding as the one with which she had yielded herself to his guidance six years before in the grounds of Morland, she had acknowledged the recognition, ere Mrs. de Burgh, after an angry pause and a killing glance across the table--provoked by her husband's mortifying contradiction of her assertion respecting the knowledge she had entertained of the hour of her guest's arrival (a glance which was probably intended to convey to his conviction how extremely odious an individual she deemed him)--recovered sufficiently to proceed with her relation in the same lively strain. "I was not very successful," she continued. "Of course, every body is in London; however, I have the promise of a reinforcement in a day or two. In the meantime, determined not to return empty-handed, I pressed this gentleman--whom I found just about to start homewards--into my service, and brought him--I cannot say a willing captive--chained to my triumphant car. Nay, I am glad you are beginning to be ashamed of your conduct," she added, as the accused party, looking at Mary, attempted a smiling refutation of the charge. "Ah, yes, we will imagine what you would bring forth as your excuse--that you did not expect _such_ a young lady, for you know I told you there _was_ a young lady in the case, that you cannot deny. Well, Mary and I will forgive you, now you are here, if you will only stay, and withal--make yourself extremely agreeable--but, bye the bye, I ought to introduce you to one another--how very forgetful of me! Miss Mary Seaham or rather Miss Seaham now, I believe I should say--Eugene Trevor." And Mary Seaham and Eugene Trevor exchanged another smile, as they slightly bent their heads in acknowledgement of the ceremony, but both at the same time murmuring their declaration of a previous acquaintance. "Indeed!" exclaimed Mrs. de Burgh, with some surprise, "when and where could you have possibly met?" "You forget the fête at Morland, when you so cruelly abandoned Miss Seaham to her fate, whilst you and Louis," with a little covered malice in his tone, "went love-making."