This retort seemed to irritate Mrs. Stanhope extremely. Catherine pouted her lip, and her mother swam majestically out of the room; saying, as she looked superciliously at Amelrosa, that they must soon part then, as she wished for no mysterious people under her roof.

At these words, our heroine followed her quickly, and said, "Do not be uneasy, madam, I will write immediately to Lady Archdale, to desire I may be removed as early as possible. To be an intruder any where, is foreign to my inclinations."

66

"Oh, very well;" rejoined Mrs. Stanhope, with a sneer; our letters will reach her at the same time;" and turning on her heel, descended the stairs, while her daughter affectedly tittered.

The spirit that sustained her in their presence, now gave way, and a burst of tears relieved her oppressed heart. At the risk of displeasing her benefactress, she

would

would have quitted the house directly, as she could afterwards have explained the reason; and in her liberal mind, it would have been sufficient to extenuate her from blame, had she to support herself and had money sufficient, but a few guineas, unluckily, were all she possessed; and the greater part of this small sum she owed for washing.

Lady Archdale had omitted to give her some money before she left town, and she declined to ask for any, as her ladyship had hitherto supplied her without being reminded of it; and she could account for her present neglect, by supposing, that her afflicting indisposition had occasioned it to escape her memory. She sat down immediately to write to Lady Archdale, a description of what had passed, being necessitated in her own justification; and requested her ladyship would send her a small order on her banker, and inform her likewise, where she would advise her to

go

go, as she could not think, after such an insult, of remaining at Mrs. Stanhope's.

Her spirits were so much weakened from the unmerited ill treatment she had encountered, and the piercing reflections that her unprotected state suggested, from the uncertain tenure of Lady Archdale's life, that for several days, she neither went out, or would see any person. Her solitary meals she partook of in the apartment next the eating-room, and the remainder of the time continued in her own chamber, during which period she was unmolested by the Stanhopes'. On the fourth day, however, she determined again to visit Minette, whom she longed to see, (as she would soon quit town) though she had unfortunately been the cause of rendering her an object of suspicion.

Minette was not up when she arrived, having passed a very indifferent night, from the child being indisposed; and de

sired Amelrosa to go into the sitting room and write a note for her to the doctor, that he might come and look at the infant. With pleasure she consented, and had that instant taken the pen in her hand to write, when the footstep of a man on the stairs, made her lay it down again, concluding it was the doctor, Minette having said he might probably call.

A moment ended her suspense; the door opened, and Lord Conrade stood before her. Their surprise was mutual, but his seemed mingled with alarm and confusion; however, he approached, and incoherently expressed the pleasure he felt at beholding her, saying, he had almost every day attempted to see her at Mrs. Stanhope's, but. could never be admitted to that happiness;. which induced him to imagine, he had unknowlingly displeased her; adding, he had often questioned Miss Stanhope on the subject, but could never gain any satisfactory reply; yet her manner inclined him to believe that what he feared was true.

While Amelrosa assured him he was mistaken in his conjectures, never having done any thing to offend her, she was inwardly musing on what could occasion his appearance at Minette's lodgings, as she had informed her, she saw no other beings than Mr. Belmont and herself. A sudden suspicion, for the first time, glanced across her mind; Lord Conrade and Mr. Belmont were, perhaps, the same person. The partiality Minette evinced for him, when she first saw them together at the Marquis de Luneville's, his present agitation and unexpected appearance, all seemed to confirm this suggestion.

These ideas were occupying her thoughts, when Lord Conrade, who had walked to the window with a perturbed air, again drew near, and to her utter consternation, exclaimed with wild distraction in his looks, while he carnestly regarded her, "You are here, and all is therefore discovered to you; 'tis in vain now to attempt