“Oh, my dear!” she exclaimed, and caught her forcibly into her own strong warm arms. There was more than a touch of the mother in Pamela; she never could bear to leave suffering uncomforted. “Why, in the name of God, did you leave your own husband?” The Mad Brat screamed as if the last word had been a blow. “Oh, oh, my Fred!” Pamela cast a look over the bride’s heaving shoulder at Mr. Bellairs. “There, sir!” she said severely, “there’s for you and your vanity! For you, and the others, who are so ready to think that any lady who so much as smiles on you is mad in love with you--and all the while you’re but the catspaw of her jealousy!” “Pamela!” cried Jocelyn Bellairs. He had been standing, very ill at ease, struggling with the variety of his emotions. He now broke into laughter which had yet something of wrath in it. “I’ve been a confounded fool! And I swear you are an angel! Oh, confusion! I can’t bear to hear a woman cry. But I must say Joseph himself would have been tempted by that little--devil, this morning!” “Hush!” cried the milliner, rocking the weeping Selina as if it had been a baby, but shooting another glance at Mr. Bellairs which, after all, held more indulgence than resentment. “Hush, sir! Leave me with her Ladyship. Go, refresh yourself with a tankard of cool ale, after your dusty drive--and send the landlady hither with the hartshorn.” If Mr. Bellairs had thought highly of Pamela before, he now told himself she was the pattern of true women. He paused but to kiss the firm, capable, white hand she extended to him, and then hastily closed the door between himself and those distressing vapours. “Now, my dear,” coaxed Pamela, “I see how it is. You’ve had a quarrel with that elegant young officer of yours. You’ve had a quarrel, and you went off in a huff with that dark, bad old Colonel----” Lady Selina shuddered, and stamped her foot; and inarticulately declared that if she’d had a dagger to her hand, she’d have stabbed him. “Well, Sir Jasper’s done it for you, very neat, in the leg.” Selina interrupted with another scream. “Sir Jasper? Why, he was worse! Oh, how glad I was to see My Lord Kilcroney run him through!” “I’m sure,” said Pamela, a little dryly, “it is a mercy, my Lady, I came alone after you and Mr. Bellairs! Mr. Bellairs is engaged to me, my Lady, and I don’t seem to fancy a hole in him.” Lady Selina was much too absorbed in her own grief to have a thought to spare for any such trifles. She fell again into her chair, cast her arms upon the table and buried her face on them, wailing, in an extravagance of despair, that her Fred would never forgive her, and that there was nothing left for her but death. “Why, there’s no harm done,” Pamela briskly consoled. “I’m ready to vouch for you that you’ve travelled with me, and slept with me----” she broke off. Her quick ear had caught the sound of certain well-known accents in the courtyard without.