That gentleman entered immediately on the announcement of his name, with a certain air of _empressement_ which vanished so soon as he saw Colonel Alsager's broad back. Laura Hammond prided herself on never having been taken unawares. When speaking to Alsager her face had been curling with sneers, her voice harsh and strident; but before Sir Charles Mitford had crossed the threshold, she had wreathed her mouth in smiles, and as she shook hands with him, though aloud she only uttered the ordinary commonplaces, in a lower tone she said, "I thought you would come to-day." Alsager heard her say it. That was a singular property of his--that gift of hearing anything that might be said, no matter in how large a party, or how earnestly he might be supposed to be talking. It had saved his life once; and he had assiduously cultivated it ever since. Mitford heard it too, but thickly. He had not had as much experience in the cadences of the _demi-voix_ as Laurence. "How are you, Alsager? We seem to be always tumbling over each other now, don't we? and the oftener the better, I say.--How d'ye do, Mrs. Hammond? I say, what's all this that you've been saying to my wife?" Laurence started, and then reverted to the album which lay on his knees. Mrs. Hammond saw the start, and the means adopted for hiding it, and smiled quietly. "I don't know what I said in particular to Lady Mitford; nothing to frighten her, I hope," said Mrs. Hammond; "I was congratulating myself that she and I had got on so very well together." "O yes, so you did, of course," said Sir Charles,--"sisters, and all that kind of thing. But I mean what you said to her about leaving town." "Oh, that's perfectly correct. Mr. Hammond has seen Sir Charles Dumfunk and Dr. Wadd, and they both concur in saying that he ought not to have left Florence until the spring; and that he must leave London forthwith." "And they have recommended Torquay as the best place for him; at least so my wife tells me." "Quite right; and in obedience to their commands I have sent Miss Gillespie off this very day to take a house, and make all necessary arrangements." "Who's Miss Gillespie?" "My-well, I don't know what. I believe _factotum_ is the Latin word for it. She's Miss Hammond's governess (my stepdaughter, you know), and my general adviser and manager. I don't know what I should do without her, as I told Colonel Alsager, who, by the way, did not pay much attention." Laurence grinned a polite grin, but said never a word. "She was with me in the pony-carriage the first day Mr. Bertram introduced you to me, Sir Charles. Ah, but she had her veil down, I recollect; and she asked all about you afterwards."