The pressure of carriages compelled them to separate. Sophia sank back upon her cushioned seat, and covered her face with her handkerchief, as if she wept bitterly. The heart of Charters was filled with acute sorrow and vague alarm; but could he have seen her fair little face, he would have found it convulsed with--_laughter_! "Hallo, Charters! so your fair one is gone?" said some one whose voice he recognised; and turning angrily, he found himself face to face with Frederick Shirley, a cornet of his own regiment. "A rare scrape you are in!" the cornet added, with a loud laugh. "How so, sir?" asked Charters, sharply. "What on earth tempted you to appear in an opera box with that woman?" "_That_ woman?" he repeated, fiercely; "what woman--who?" "She who just left you in that absurd turn out--for it is absurd--horses, harness, and all," continued the unabashed Shirley; "coronets, plating, and panels." "Who is she?" asked Charters, somewhat crestfallen. "What--is it possible that you do not know?" queried Shirley, with an air of utter bewilderment. "I know that she is adorable, and is called Sophia----" "Sophia Amelia de Walmoden, Countess of Yarmouth, and bosom friend of his majesty the king!" added Shirley, with another burst of laughter, as he took the arm of Charters and led him away. Charters was stupified! He had been thus fooled by the mere mistress of this very unattractive king, some of whose "amorous sallies" in Hanover had excited _her jealousy_, and she was now anxious to revenge herself by exciting his in turn; for she was certain that the Defender of the Faith would hear of her appearance at the opera with a handsome young cavalry officer. So Charters trembled with rage at the thought of his own folly, and began to school himself--however difficult and unpalatable the task--to hate her as much as he had formerly loved her. Shirley's laughter galled him to the soul at first; but afterwards, over their wine, he showed about a dozen of little pink and peagreen notes, which he had received from his faithless Walmoden, all signed "Sophia." His appearance in public with the Countess of Yarmouth had given rise to much speculation and gossip in the vicinity of Kensington Palace, and St. James's too; and Shirley was unwise enough to boast frequently of having seen the notes in the possession of Charters; consequently, the latter soon found a secret influence at work against him at headquarters, and that there was little chance of obtaining either a transfer to another corps, or an extension of leave. This was unpleasant, as his funds were so much impaired by extravagance, that he could scarcely rejoin the Dragoon Guards. While he was in this dilemma, Shirley called at his hotel one morning, and mentioned in confidence, that if he would give up Walmoden's letters, he would find, on looking at the _Gazette_, the position of his affairs materially altered.