He kicked a spittoon to the other end of the room, rang the bell
furiously for the butler, and dashed off a note to Mr. Guilfoyle. It
was sufficiently curt and pointed. He expressed "regret that a gun
would not be at his service on the coming 1st of September; but that
the carriage would await his orders, for Chester or elsewhere."
Guilfoyle had doubtless been accustomed to meet with affronts such as
this. Desiring his baggage to be sent after him, he departed that
night with his two horses, his groom (and diamond ring); but, prior to
doing so, he had the effrontery to leave P.P.C. cards for Lady Naseby
and Estelle, saying that "he should not forget their kind invitation
to Walcot Park;" and rode off, scheming vengeance on me, to whom he
evidently attributed the whole matter, as he informed Owen Gwyllim
that he "would yet repay me, through his solicitor, perhaps, for the
interest I had taken in his affairs."
This threw a temporary cloud over our little party, and good Sir Madoc
felt a kind of sorrow for Guilfoyle as he surmised how little money he
might have in his purse, forgetting that he was proprietor of a pair
of horses. To prevent her _amour propre_ being wounded, we most
unfortunately did not reveal this man's real character to Lady Naseby;
thus, to Sir Madoc's hot temper was attributed his sudden departure.
Though Lady Estelle was excessively provoked that, through her and her
mother, whom his service on the Continent had prejudiced in his
favour, and through his alleged acquaintance with me, he had become
Sir Madoc's guest, in a day or two the whole _contretemps_ was
forgotten; but I was fated not to have seen or heard the last of Mr.
Hawkesby Guilfoyle.
CHAPTER XIX.--TWO LOVES FOR ONE HEART.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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