To the eye of Bishopriggs, she was a miracle of beauty, with a small fortune for a poor man carried about her in silk, lace, and jewelry.  No woman present was the object of such special attention among the men as this fascinating and priceless creature.  She sat fanning herself with a matchless work of art (supposed to be a handkerchief) representing an island of cambric in the midst of an ocean of lace.  She was surrounded by a little court of admirers, who fetched and carried at her slightest nod, like well-trained dogs.  Sometimes they brought refreshments, which she had asked for, only to decline taking them when they came.  Sometimes they brought information of what was going on among the dancers, which the lady had been eager to receive when they went away, and in which she had ceased to feel the smallest interest when they came back.  Every body burst into ejaculations of distress when she was asked to account for her absence from the dinner, and answered, “My poor nerves.”  Every body said, “What should we have done without you!”—­when she doubted if she had done wisely in joining the party at all.  Inquiring who this favored lady might be, Bishopriggs discovered that she was the niece of the indomitable old gentleman who would dance—­or, more plainly still, no less a person than his contemplated customer, Mrs. Glenarm.

With all his enormous assurance Bishopriggs was daunted when he found himself facing the question of what he was to do next.

To open negotiations with Mrs. Glenarm, under present circumstances, was, for a man in his position, simply impossible.  But, apart from this, the prospect of profitably addressing himself to that lady in the future was, to say the least of it, beset with difficulties of no common kind.

Supposing the means of disclosing Geoffrey’s position to her to be found—­what would she do, when she received her warning?  She would in all probability apply to one of two formidable men, both of whom were interested in the matter.  If she went straight to the man accused of attempting to marry her, at a time when he was already engaged to another woman—­Bishopriggs would find himself confronted with the owner of that terrible fist, which had justly terrified him even on a distant and cursory view.  If, on the other hand she placed her interests in the care of her uncle—­Bishopriggs had only to look at the captain, and to calculate his chance of imposing terms on a man who owed Life a bill of more than sixty years’ date, and who openly defied time to recover the debt.

With these serious obstacles standing in the way, what was to be done?  The only alternative left was to approach Mrs. Glenarm under shelter of the dark.

Reaching this conclusion, Bishopriggs decided to ascertain from the servants what the lady’s future movements might be; and, thus informed, to startle her by anonymous warnings, conveyed through the post, and claiming their answer through the advertising channel of a newspaper.  Here was the certainty of alarming her, coupled with the certainty of safety to himself!  Little did Mrs. Glenarm dream, when she capriciously stopped a servant going by with some glasses of lemonade, that the wretched old creature who offered the tray contemplated corresponding with her before the week was out, in the double character of her “Well-Wisher” and her “True Friend.”