"If Leinster were not my friend," said Worcester to a gentleman who afterwards repeated it to me, pointing to Leinster and myself, as we stood in the round room waiting for His Grace's carriage; "if that young man were not my friend, I would make him walk over my dead body before he should take Harriette out of this house." Oh, this love! this love! Amy's rooms were not full. It was her last party for that season. There was nobody in town, so, _faute de mieux_, since Mildmay had cut her, she was making up to a Mr. Boultby, a black, little, ugly dragoon, whom she declared was exactly to her taste. "Come to Brighton," said Amy to her hero. He assured her that, if his regiment had not been stationed there, he would have joined her, since he felt that he could not live out of her smiles. "How can you strive to make fools of people?" said I. "What do you mean?" inquired Amy fiercely. "Why, seriously, Mr. Boultby," continued I, "take my word, she has no fancy for you." Mr. Boultby's vanity would not permit him to take my word, so I left him to the enjoyment of it. Parker and Fanny appeared to be very happy together, and sincerely attached to each other. No husband could show more respect towards any wife. Leinster was very dull, though too proud to complain. "Confess," said I to His Grace, as soon as I could get him into one corner of the room, "confess that you are annoyed and unhappy about Lord Worcester." "I do think," said Leinster, "though I do not pretend to have any claim on you whatever, that Worcester, as my friend, had no right to intrude himself into your society to-night." "Never mind, don't bore me with your jealousy; I abhor it," said I, "I must and will be free, as free as the air, to do whatever I like. I always told you so, and never professed to be in love with you. However, I still like you as well as I like anybody else, and, as to Lord Worcester, what shall I see of him, while he is at Oxford, and I at Brighton, to which place I did not invite him." "I do not see why Worcester thought proper to blush as he did to-night, and pretend to be so over modest, while he was doing such a cool, impudent thing," muttered Leinster. "Dear me, how tiresome," said I, yawning. "I should almost have forgotten all about Lord Worcester by this time, if you had made yourself agreeable." The evening finished heavily for me. I was bored with Leinster, who never had anything on earth to recommend him to my notice, save that excellent temper, which I now saw ruffled for the first time since I had known him: and Amy, who, it must be acknowledged was in the habit of saying droll things, was this night wholly taken up and amused with that stupid, ugly Boultby! I therefore returned early, and Leinster put me down at my own door. CHAPTER XV The next day I proposed to my new _dame de compagnie_, Miss Eliza Higgins, to dress herself quickly, in order to accompany me into the park.