’By Jove! my dear fellow, she has been the whole evening here masquerading it like a very vixen, as she is; and now she has committed us both.  I have burnt her letters, without reading them, for the last month.  Now I call that honourable; because, as I had no longer any claim on her heart, I would not think of trenching on her correspondence.  But honour, what is honour in these dishonourable days?  This is my reward.  She contrived to enter my house this evening, dressed like a farmer’s boy, and you may imagine what ensued; rage, hysterics, and repentance.  I am sure if Monteagle had seen me, he would not have been jealous.  I never opened my mouth, but, like a fool, sent her home in my carriage; and now I am going to be run through the body for my politeness.’

In this light strain, blended, however, with more decorous feeling on the part of Lord Scrope, the young men conversed until the messenger’s return with Lord Monteagle’s answer.  In Hyde Park, in the course of an hour, himself and Lord Cadurcis, attended by their friends, were to meet.

‘Well, there is nothing like having these affairs over,’ said Cadurcis; ’and to confess the truth, my dear Scrope, I should not much care if Monteagle were to despatch me to my fathers; for, in the whole course of my miserable life, and miserable, whatever the world may think, it has been, I never felt much more wretched than I have during the last four-and-twenty hours.  By Jove! do you know I was going to leave England this morning, and I have ordered my horses, too.’

‘Leave England!’

‘Yes, leave England; and where I never intended to return.’

’Well, you are the oddest person I ever knew, Cadurcis.  I should have thought you the happiest person that ever existed.  Everybody admires, everybody envies you.  You seem to have everything that man can desire.  Your life is a perpetual triumph.’

’Ah! my dear Scrope, there is a skeleton in every house.  If you knew all, you would not envy me.’

‘Well, we have not much time,’ said Lord Scrope; ’have you any arrangements to make?’

’None.  My property goes to George, who is my only relative, without the necessity of a will, otherwise I should leave everything to him, for he is a good fellow, and my blood is in his veins.  Just you remember, Scrope, that I will be buried with my mother.  That is all; and now let us get ready.’

The sun had just risen when the young men went forth, and the day promised to be as brilliant as the preceding one.  Not a soul was stirring in the courtly quarter in which Cadurcis resided; even the last watchman had stolen to repose.  They called a hackney coach at the first stand they reached, and were soon at the destined spot.  They were indeed before their time, and strolling by the side of the Serpentine, Cadurcis said, ’Yesterday morning was one of the happiest of my life, Scrope, and I was in hopes that an event would have occurred in the course of the day that might have been my salvation.  If it had, by-the-bye, I should not have returned to town, and got into this cursed scrape.  However, the gods were against me, and now I am reckless.’