‘But I suppose Clara did not know it.’  Belinda had considered it to be an act of charity to call Miss Amedroz Clara since the family consent had been given.

’Didn’t know it!  They have been living in that sort of way that they must have been confidantes in everything.  Besides, I always hold that a woman is responsible for her female friends.’

’I think if she consents to drop her at once that is, absolutely to make a promise that she will never speak to her again Frederic ought to take that as sufficient.  That is, of course, mamma, unless she has had anything to do with it herself.’

’After this I don’t know how I’m to trust her.  I don’t indeed.  It seems to me that she has been so artful throughout.  It has been a regular case of catching.’

’I suppose, of course, that she has been anxious to marry Frederic but perhaps that was natural.’

’Anxious look at her going there just when he had to meet his constituents.  How young women can do such things passes me!  And how it is that men don’t see it all, when it’s going on just under their noses, I can’t understand.  And then, her getting my poor dear sister to speak to him when she was dying!  I didn’t think your aunt would have been so weak.’  It will be thus seen that there was entire confidence on this subject between Lady Aylmer and her daughter.

We know what were the steps taken with reference to the discovery, and how the family were waiting for Clara’s reply.  Lady Aylmer, though in her words she attributed so much mean cunning to Miss Amedroz, still was disposed to believe that that lady would show rather a high spirit on this occasion; and trusted to that high spirit as the means for making the breach which she still hoped to accomplish.  It had been intended or rather desired that Captain Aylmer’s letter should have been much sharper and authoritative than he had really made it; but the mother could not write the letter herself, and had felt that to write in her own name would not have served to create anger on Clara’s part against her betrothed.  But she had quite succeeded in inspiring her son with a feeling of horror against the iniquity of the Askertons.  He was prepared to be indignantly moral; and perhaps perhaps the misguided Clara might be silly enough to say a word for her lost friend!  Such being the present position of affairs, there was certainly ground for hope.

And now they were all waiting for Clara’s answer.  Lady Aylmer had well calculated the course of post, and knew that a letter might reach them by Wednesday morning.  ‘Of course she will not write on Sunday,’ she had said to her son, ’but you have a right to expect that not another day should go by.’  Captain Aylmer, who felt that they were putting Clara on her trial, shook his head impatiently, and made no immediate answer.  Lady Aylmer, triumphantly feeling that she had the culprit on the hip, did not care to notice this.  She was doing the best she could for his happiness as she had done for his health, when in days gone by she had administered to him his infantine rhubarb and early senna; but as she had never then expected him to like her doses, neither did she now expect that he should be well pleased at the remedial measures to which he was to be subjected.