In her delirium she called frequently upon Miss Portman; sometimes accusing her of the basest treachery, sometimes addressing her as if she were present, and pouring forth the warmest expressions of friendship. “In her lucid intervals, ma’am,” continued Marriott, “she for some weeks scarcely ever mentioned your name, nor could bear to hear me mention it. One day, when I was saying how much I wished that you were with her again, she darted at me the most terrible look that ever I beheld. “‘When I am in my grave, Marriott,’ cried my lady, ‘it will be time enough for Miss Portman again to visit this house, and you may then express your attachment to her with more propriety than at present.’ These were my lady’s own words--I shall never forget them: they struck and astonished me, ma’am, so much, I stood like one stupified, and then left the room to think them over again by myself, and make sense of them, if I could. Well, ma’am, to be sure, it then struck me like a flash of lightning, that my lady was jealous--and, begging your pardon, ma’am--of you. This seemed to me the most unnatural thing in the world, considering how easy my lady had always seemed to be about my lord; but it was now clear to me, that this was the cause of your leaving us so suddenly, ma’am. Well, I was confident that Mr. Champfort was at the bottom of the business from the first; and now that I knew what scent to go upon, I went to work with fresh spirit to find him out, which was a thing I was determined upon--and what I’m determined upon, I generally do, ma’am. So I put together things about Miss Portman and my lord, that had dropped at odd times from Sir Philip Baddely’s gentleman; and I, partly serious and partly flirting, which in a good cause is no sin, drew from him (for he pretends to be a little an admirer of mine, ma’am, though I never gave him the smallest encouragement) all he knew or suspected, or had heard reported, or whispered; and out it came, ma’am, that Mr. Champfort was the original of all; and that he had told a heap of lies about some bank-notes that my lord had given you, and that you and my lord were to be married as soon as my lady was dead; and I don’t know what, which he maliciously circulated through Sir Philip’s gentleman to Sir Philip himself, and so round again to my lady. Now, Sir Philip’s man behaved like a gentleman upon the occasion, which I shall ever be free to acknowledge and remember: and when I represented things properly, and made him sensible of the mischief, which, he assured me, was done purely with an eye to serve Sir Philip, his master, he very candidly offered to assist me to unmask that villain Champfort, which he could easily do with the assistance of a few bottles of claret, and a few fair words; which, though I can’t abide hypocrisy, I thought quite allowable upon such an occasion. So, ma’am, when Mr. Champfort was thrown off his guard by the claret, Sir Philip’s gentleman began to talk