When reflection thus diminished the wonderment which Mr. Hatfield experienced at the behaviour of the young man, pain and sorrow succeeded that first feeling. Indeed, the unhappy father was cruelly embarrassed: he knew not how to act. Charles was of that age when,--even did circumstances permit Mr. Hatfield to acknowledge that he really was his son,--no legal authority could be exercised, nor constraint practised; and he felt assured that any farther attempt to interfere with him in the connexion which he had formed, would only aggravate the irritability of the wrong-headed young man. Then again, it was impossible to abandon him thus to courses which might hurry him on to utter ruin;--and moreover, the Lady Frances Ellingham had been so cruelly trifled with, that an explanation with _her_ parents became absolutely necessary. Now was it that Mr. Hatfield cursed the hour when he had been induced to leave Italy, and return to England on this visit to his half-brother--a visit which the Earl had by letter urged him to pay, and to which he had assented in full confidence of the complete safety of the step. Bewildered with the variety of his conflicting thoughts, and feeling the necessity as well as recognising the propriety of consulting the Earl, Mr. Hatfield repaired to the library, whence he despatched a message to the nobleman requesting his lordship to join him there as speedily as possible:--for it still wanted upwards of half-an-hour to the usual breakfast time. The Earl of Ellingham was just issuing from his chamber when the message was delivered to him; and, immediately apprehending some evil news, he hastened to the library, where he found his half-brother pacing up and down in an agitated manner. Mr. Hatfield, without any disguise, hesitation, or circumlocution, immediately unfolded to the Earl all that had taken place, both on that and the preceding day, in respect to Charles;--and Arthur listened with emotions of mingled pain, astonishment, and apprehension.