in the use she made of it on the present occasion, had Georgiana been absent or ten years older. As it was, besides the offence to her modesty itself, Georgiana felt that she was being treated with intentional lack of consideration. She thought the lady guilty of spite as well as license: she noted, too, and placed to her account against him, the lack of any protest on her uncle’s part on behalf of her innocence. He laughed and was merry, in his easy, fine-gentlemanly way; and the young lady, in her sense of careless outrage, could scarce restrain the tears of injury, loneliness, and revolt. It was not till the dinner was nearly over, and a comfortable disinclination to resume their travels had been created in his friends, that Foxwell put his invitation before the ladies. At first they declared such a visit impossible, but as they could mention no respect wherein the impossibility lay, and as Foxwell knew how to mingle flattery with appeals to their compassion, they soon yielded. Poor Georgiana! It may be imagined how far she shared the joy of her uncle at the prospect of playing hostess to these people, though, as he had called upon her openly to second his invitation, she had perfunctorily done so. This matter settled, the rest of the company became merrier, and Georgiana more miserable, than ever. Meanwhile, though she knew it not, nor could have dreamt how deeply it would affect her life, the stage-coach had arrived and left a passenger; and the two horsemen from the North, guided by the postboy, were even now riding into the passage beneath the room in which she sat. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER III KNAVES SQUIRE THORNBY, in the next room, had finished his dinner before the Foxwell party had well begun theirs. In the state of his temper he had attacked the roast lamb with a fierceness that made his usual voracity seem delicate in comparison. But, indeed, a good appetite had something to do with his gastronomic energy, for he had ridden that morning from his own house through this town to an estate some miles eastward, to look at some hounds that were to be offered for sale, and it was on his return that he had stopped at the inn. During his meal he sometimes gave his feelings vent in speech to the sympathizing Bartholomew, who remained for part of the time in attendance. “If I ever catch that there gamekeeper of his alone without a gun,” said Bartholomew, “you shall have your revenge on that score, sir,—if I may be so bold as to say as much.”