In a quarter of an hour or something less the porter came back--'Mr. Valmont's compliments to Lord Filmar, and he is engaged.' Now, Walter, as you dote on discoveries, tell me what does your algebraic head make out of this?----'That he----.' No indeed, Walter.----'Then he----.' Nor that neither, Walter. Now I discovered it in an instant: keen-eyed, cool and penetrating, I saw at once that Mr. Valmont--did not choose to see me.--'Ay: but why?'--That's quite another matter. 'Lord Filmar,' said my father, 'you are the most impertinent prevaricating puppy I ever knew in my life.' 'My Lord,' replied I bowing modestly, 'I am told I have the honour greatly to resemble your lordship.' 'Sir, you--this is all going from the point, Sir.----Did--you--ever----.' beating time on one hand with a letter he held in the other,--'directly or indirectly talk to any one about Miss Valmont?' 'Yes, Sir.' 'You did, Sir!'--fierce attitude--'And pray what did you say?' 'I said, my Lord--that Miss Valmont--was a young lady.' 'Mighty well, Lord Filmar!--'Tis mighty well!--Go on, Sir,--Ridicule your father for all his acts of kindness to you!' 'Ridicule, my Lord, is out of the question; but indeed I never shall be serious without knowing why, and your interrogatories of the last half hour are so vague, I cannot understand them. You ask me if I did ever talk of Miss Valmont?--As a young man naturally talks of a young woman, so may I have talked of Miss Valmont. The other day, for instance, I was riding with Miss Monckton--'_I should like of all things_,' said she, '_to see the wild girl of the castle.--Twice I have visited there with my mother; but Valmont won't suffer her to be introduced._' 'The Earl,' replied I, 'declares she is handsome, and I too should be charmed to see her.--Perhaps, my Lord, I may have made a score such speeches, and if they are any thing to the purpose, I will endeavour to recollect them in form, and circumstance.--Let me see--Last Friday se'night----.' 'Psha,' cried the Earl, 'they are nothing to my purpose.' 'Why then, will you be pleased, my Lord, to tell me what is?' A pause succeeded, during which he appeared to seek instruction from the contents of the letter in his hand. 'If there is any thing in that letter, my Lord,' said I, stretching out my hand to receive it, 'which relates to me, suffer me to read it; then I can answer straight forward to the charge.' It was not enough simply to refuse, Walter.--The Earl crammed the letter into his pocket. 'Hem! hem!' said the Earl. 'Before we came to Sir Gilbert's I remember, Lord Filmar, you thought fit to wind, and pry into the state of Miss Valmont's fortune. Now if you took upon you to assert any thing to any one, from that conversation, remember you told a falsehood, Sir,--an absolute falsehood.--She has no fortune whatever, Sir--not a penny.'