‘Yes, but at least it was only for seven. The rascal himself must have altered it into seventy. She and the other girl both agree as to that. There’s been a clandestine correspondence going on with that scamp ever since she has been here, under cover to that precious friend of hers--that Hacket girl.’ ‘Ah! you warned me, Jenny,’ said Lady Merrifield ‘But I’m quite sure Miss Hacket knew nothing of it.’ ‘I don’t suppose she did. She seemed struck all of a heap. Any way they’ve quarrelled now; the other one has turned King’s evidence--has lost some money too, and says Dolores deceived her. She’s deceived every one all round, that’s the fact. Why she told me two flat lies this very morning--lies--there’s no other name for it. What will you do with her, Lily?’ ‘I don’t know,’ said Lady Merrifield, utterly shocked, and recollecting, but not mentioning, the falsehood told to her about the note. Lord Rotherwood said, ‘Poor child,’ and Colonel Mohun groaned, ‘Poor Maurice.’ ‘Then she did go to Darminster?’ said Miss Mohun. ‘Yes; that came out from this Miss Constance, who seems to have been properly taken in about some publishing trash. Serve her right! But it seems Dolores beguiled her with stories about her dear uncle in distress. We left her nearly in hysterics, and I told the children to come away.’ ‘What does Dolores say?’ asked Jane. ‘Nothing! I could not get a word out of her after the first surprise at the alteration of the cheque. Not a word nor a tear. She is as hard--as hard as a bit of stone.’ ‘Really,’ said Lady Merrifield, ‘I can’t help thinking there’s a good deal of excuse for her.’ ‘What? That poor Maurice’s wife was half a heathen, and afterwards the girl was left to chance?’ said Colonel Mohun. ‘I see no other. And you, Lily, are the last person I should expect to excuse untruth.’ ‘I did not mean to do that, Regie; but you all say that poor Mary was fond of this man and helped him.’ ‘That she did!’ said Lord Rotherwood, ‘and very much against the grain it went with Maurice.’ ‘Then don’t you see that this poor child, who probably never had the matter explained to her, may have felt it a great hardship to be cut off from the man her mother taught her to care for; and that may have led her into concealments?’ ‘Well!’ said Colonel Mohun, ‘at that rate, at least one may be thankful never to have married.’ ‘One--or two, Regie?’ said Jane, as they all laughed at his sally. ‘I think I had better go up and see whether I can get anything out of the child. Do you mean to have her down to dinner, Lily,’ she added, glancing at the clock. ‘Oh yes, certainly. I don’t want to put her to disgrace before all the children and servants--that is, if she is not crying herself out of condition to appear, poor child.’ ‘Not she,’ said Uncle Reginald. On opening the door, the children were all discovered in the hall, in anxious curiosity, not venturing in uncalled, but very much puzzled.