An hour later, in a box on the pit tier, listening with every pulse (for Honor was too new and fresh not to take an almost painful interest in the half-tragic and perfectly-acted play) beating responsive to newly-aroused sensations, the young wife of the Sandyshire farmer attracted a good deal more attention and admiration than she--entirely engrossed with the scene and the performance--could, vain daughter of Eve though she was, have supposed to be possible. Her dress, made of inexpensive materials, but of pure, fresh white, and unadorned, except with a bunch of pale-blue convolvulus, matching another of the same flower in the side of her small, fair head, was a triumph of unpretending simplicity. Alas, however, for the fashions of these our days! For well would it have been--before one pair of eyes, gazing on Honor’s attractions from the pit, had rested on her beauty--could some more efficient covering than the turquoise cross, suspended from her rounded throat by a black velvet ribbon, have veiled her loveliness from glance profane! Honor little knew--could she have had the faintest surmise that so it was, her dismay would have been great indeed--Honor little knew whose eyes those were that for a short ten minutes--no more--were riveted, with feelings of surprise and horror which for the moment almost made his breast a hell, upon the box in which she was seated. John Beacham--for the individual thus roused to very natural indignation was no other than that much-aggrieved husband--had learned from chattering Lydia, on his visit to Stanwick-street, that Mrs. Beacham was on that evening to betake herself to the New Adelphi with--the name went through honest John’s heart like a knife--Mr. Vavasour and Mrs. Norcott. They were gone--“_them three_,” Miss Lydia said--to “’Ampton Court” for the afternoon; but the Colonel--he was expected back before the others. Perhaps the gentleman--the parlour-maid was totally ignorant of the visitor’s right to be interested in Mrs. John Beacham’s movements--perhaps the gentleman would wait, or it might be more convenient to him to call again when the Colonel would have come back from the races. She didn’t believe that Colonel Norcott would go to the theatre. She’d heard some talk of his going to the club; but if--