"Pretty waltz," said Cleve, waving his slender hand just the least in the world to the music. "Pretty thing!" He did not use much ceremony with this young lady--his cousin in some remote way--who, under the able direction of her mother, Lady Wimbledon, had once pursued him in a barefaced way for nearly three years; and who, though as we have seen, her mother had by this time quite despaired, yet liked him with all the romance that remained to her. "And who are you going to marry, Caroline? There's Sedley--I see him over there. What do you say to Sedley?" "No, thanks--much obliged--but Sedley, you know, has seen his fate in that mysterious lady in Wales, or somewhere." "Oh? has he?" He signed to Sedley to come to them. Looking through the chinks and chasms that now and then opened in the distinguished mob of which he formed a unit, he occasionally saw the stiff figure and small features of his pompous uncle, Lord Verney, who was talking affably to Lady Wimbledon. Lord Verney did not wear his agreeable simper. He had that starch and dismal expression, rather, which came with grave subjects, and he was tapping the fingers of his right hand upon the back of his left, in time to the cadence of his periods, which he did when delivering matter particularly well worth hearing. It plainly did not displease Lady Wimbledon, whatever his discourse might be. "I'm to be married to Caroline, I suppose. I wish that old woman was at the bottom of the Red Sea." Cleve looked straight in the eyes of the Honourable Miss Caroline Oldys, and said he, with a smile, "Lady Wimbledon and my uncle are deep in some mystery--is it political? Have you an idea?" Caroline Oldys had given up blushing very long ago indeed; but there was the confusion, without the tint of a blush in her face, as he said these words. "I dare say--mamma's a great politician." "Oh! I know that. By Jove, my uncle's looking this way. I hope he's not coming." "Would you mind taking me to mamma?" "No--pray stay for a moment. Here's Sedley." And the young man, whom we know pretty well, with the bold blue eyes and golden moustaches, and good frank handsome face, approached smiling. "How are you, Sedley?" said Cleve, giving him two fingers. "Caroline Oldys says you've had an adventure. Where was it?" "The lady in black, you know, in Wales," reminded Miss Oldys. "Oh! to be sure," said Sedley, laughing. "A lady in gray, it was. I saw her twice. But that's more than a year old, and there has been nothing ever since." "_Do_ go on." Sedley laughed. "It was at Cardyllian, in the church. She lived at Malory--that dark old place you went to see with the Verneys, the day you were at Cardyllian--don't you remember?" "Oh, yes,--what a romantic place!"