Before Lord Spoonbill had taken his leave, Mr Primrose returned; he had merely been gossipping with his neighbour Kipperson, and the learned Zephaniah Pringle. Mr Primrose, knowing nothing of his lordship’s intentions, and being as unsuspicious as Penelope that he was the person by whose means the correspondence had been interrupted, greeted the hereditary legislator with the utmost cordiality and respect. The father expressed the same surprise as the daughter had, at the presence of Lord Spoonbill at Smatterton, and received the same lying explanation, and was equally well satisfied with it. Even had there sprung up in the mind of Mr Primrose any suspicion whatever that his lordship’s visit to Smatterton had any reference to Penelope, that thought would have been immediately removed by Lord Spoonbill saying; “My visit to Smatterton is very short, I arrived yesterday, and I return tomorrow morning.” “Then we feel ourselves the more honored by this call;” replied Mr Primrose. His lordship smilingly returned for answer; “You may indeed, Mr Primrose. I have been occupied at the castle all the morning, and you are the only person in the country that I have called upon. I have not even seen my good neighbour, Sir George Aimwell. But I shall leave my friend Colonel Crop at the castle, and he must apologize for me.” Then after a short pause, with a little hesitation and a slight change of tone, his lordship continued--“Perhaps you will excuse me, Mr Primrose, if I take the liberty to enquire whether you have had any more favourable account of the affairs of your banker, than you had when I had the honor to see you in London?” Lord Spoonbill asked this question with a tone of voice that indicated great compassion, and seemed to express a hope and earnest wish that the answer might be of a favorable complexion; but it would have been most pleasing to his lordship to hear a long drawn sigh and a lamentable tale of unfortunate losses and painful disappointments. Instead however of a melancholy shake of the head and a dismal story, Mr Primrose said, in reply, “I thank your lordship for your kind enquiries, but I am most happy to inform you that I had taken alarm too soon. I know nothing about the affairs of my banker, and I care but little; for, upon farther examination, I found that my agent had not consigned any very large amount to the banker’s keeping.” “I am exceedingly happy to hear it,” replied his lordship.