Lord Mountclere gave up the chase, but as he wished to get into the town again, he followed in the same direction.  When Ethelberta had proceeded as far as the Red Lion Hotel, she turned towards it with her companion, and being shown to a room, the two sisters shut themselves in.  Lord Mountclere paused and entered the White Hart, the rival hotel to the Red Lion, which stood in an adjoining street.

Having secluded himself in an apartment here, walked from window to window awhile, and made himself generally uncomfortable, he sat down to the writing materials on the table, and concocted a note:—­

   ’White Hart hotel.

’My dear Mrs. Petherwin,—­You do not mean to be so cruel as to break your plighted word to me?  Remember, there is no love without much jealousy, and lovers are ever full of sighs and misgiving.  I have owned to as much contrition as can reasonably be expected.  I could not endure the suspicion that you loved another.—­Yours always,

   ‘Mountclere.’

This he sent, watching from the window its progress along the street.  He awaited anxiously for an answer, and waited long.  It was nearly twenty minutes before he could hear a messenger approaching the door.  Yes—­she had actually sent a reply; he prized it as if it had been the first encouragement he had ever in his life received from woman:—­

‘My lord’ (wrote Ethelberta),—­’I am not prepared at present to enter into the question of marriage at all.  The incident which has occurred affords me every excuse for withdrawing my promise, since it was given under misapprehensions on a point that materially affects my happiness.

   ‘E.  Petherwin.’

‘Ho-ho-ho—­Miss Hoity-toity!’ said Lord Mountclere, trotting up and down.  But, remembering it was her June against his November, this did not last long, and he frantically replied:—­

   ’My darling,—­I cannot release you—­I must do anything to keep my
   treasure.  Will you not see me for a few minutes, and let bygones go
   to the winds?’

Was ever a thrush so safe in a cherry net before!

The messenger came back with the information that Mrs. Petherwin had taken a walk to the Close, her companion alone remaining at the hotel.  There being nothing else left for the viscount to do, he put on his hat, and went out on foot in the same direction.  He had not walked far when he saw Ethelberta moving slowly along the High Street before him.

Ethelberta was at this hour wandering without any fixed intention beyond that of consuming time.  She was very wretched, and very indifferent:  the former when thinking of her past, the latter when thinking of the days to come.  While she walked thus unconscious of the streets, and their groups of other wayfarers, she saw Christopher emerge from a door not many paces in advance, and close it behind him:  he stood for a moment on the step before descending into the road.