With these words Miss Daly advanced towards him with a firm and determined air, while a cry of horror arose through the room, and the fairer portion intrepidly threw themselves in front of their champion, while Dempsey and the others only restrained their laughter for fear of personal consequences. Pushing fiercely on, Miss Daly was almost at his side, when the door of the room was opened, and a deep and well-known voice called out to her,-- “Maria, what the devil is all this?” “Oh, Bagenal,” cried she, as she held out her hand, “I scarcely expected you before eight o'clock.” “But in the name of everything ridiculous, what has happened? Were you about to horsewhip this pleasant company?” “Only one of its members,” said Miss Daly, coolly,--“a little gentleman who has thought proper to be more lavish of his calumny than his courage. I hand him over to you now; and, faith, though I don't think that he had any fancy for me, he 'll gain by the exchange! You 'll find him yonder,” said she, pointing to a corner where already the majority of the party were gathered together. Miss Daly was mistaken, however, for Mr. Dunlop had made his escape during the brief interchange of greetings between the brother and sister. “Come, Bagenal,” said she, smiling, “it's all for the best. I have given him a lesson he 'll not readily forget,--had you been the teacher, he might not have lived to remember it.” “What a place for _you!_” said Bagenal, as he threw his eye superciliously around the apartment and its occupants; then taking her arm within his own, he led her forth, and closed the door after them. Once more alone, Daly learned with surprise, not unmixed with sorrow, that his sister had never seen the Darcys, and save by a single call, when she left her name, had made no advances towards their acquaintance. She showed a degree of repugnance, too, to allude to the subject, and rather endeavored to dismiss it by saying shortly,--“Lady Eleanor is a fine lady, and her daughter a wit What could there be in common between us?” “But for Darcy's sake?” “For _his_ sake I stayed away,” rejoined she, hastily; “they would have thought me a bore, and perhaps have told him as much. In a word, Bagenal, I did n't like it, and that's enough. Neither of us were trained to put much constraint on our inclinations. I doubt if the lesson would be easily learned at our present time of life.” Daly muttered some half-intelligible bitterness about female obstinacy and wrong-headedness, and walked slowly to and fro. “I must see Maurice at once,” said he, at length. “That will be no easy task; he left this for Dublin on Tuesday last.” “And has not returned? When does he come back?” “His old butler, who brought me the news, says not for some weeks.” “Confusion and misery!” exclaimed Daly, “was there ever anything so ill-timed! And he's in Dublin?” “He went thither, but there would seem some mystery about his ultimate destination; the old man binted at London.”