"He has some secret residence in it," cried Mr. Decourcy, in an accent expressive of dipleasure. "You have seen him hereabouts, then, before?" "Yes, yesterday, at this hour, and in this walk, with miss Greville."

"Good God, is it possible!" exclaimed Woodville. "Surely the meeting must have been accidental."

"So she said," replied Mr. Decourcy, moving towards the house as he spoke; "but they appeared in a deep and interesting conversation, which my approach interrupted; and from which circumstance, I am rather doubtful of the truth of her assertion."

Woodville felt agitated and alarmed by this intelligence. He began to fear that the insinuating manners of lord Gwytherin had not altogether failed of making an impression on the mind of Jacintha; else, surely, he thought, she never could, for a moment, have been prevailed on to hold any intercourse with a man, whose conduct to her had been so atrocious...a man, whom delicacy and propriety should have made her shun with contempt and abhorrence. He felt deeply interested in her conduct, not only from the regard which his knowledge of her, from her earliest years, had inspired; but because with it was connected the happiness, the honour, of the friend he most loved and valued. After a little deliberation, he resolved on speaking to her concerning it; to inform her of what he had heard, and admonish her of the dangers, difficulties and disgrace, which the slightest deviation from propriety could not fail of drawing upon her. The eternal stigma which would be affixed to her name, if, situated as she was respecting Egbert, she attempted to en

courage the attentions of any other man, particularly of such a man as lord Gwytherin, whose designs relative to her, she knew to be of the most injurious nature.

He wished to have inquired into her actions from Mr. Decourcy; but the reserve of his manner, or rather the unwillingness he betrayed to speak upon the subject, prevented Woodville from doing so, and inclined him to believe the apprehensions he entertained of Jacintha's being prepossessed in favour of lord Gwytherin, were not erroneous; and also that that prepossession had led her into some indiscretion, which had incurred the displeasure of her protectors.

When once a suspicion is excited, the most trivial circumstance can strengthen or confirm it, like glowing embers, which the weakest breath can fan into a flame.

The coldness of Mr. and Mrs. Decourcy's manner; their too visible uneasiness, which not all their efforts could conquer or conceal, counteracted as these efforts were by internal wretchedness, were proofs to Woodville that Jacintha had displeased them; and he felt impatient for an opportunity of warning her of the unpleasant consequences which might, and would, in all probability, result from forfeiting their esteem and affection.

But, eagerly as he sought for this opportunity, it did not occur till the ensuing morning, when perceiving Jacintha alone in the garden, within the limits of which she had determined in future to confine her rambles, he joined her, and after a little hesitation, and many assurances of being urged to speak in the manner he was about doing, by his sincere regard and strong anxiety for her happiness, he briefly explained himself.

Jacintha listened to him with profound attention, but by degrees the blush of indignation suffused her cheek, at the idea of his unjust suspicions. When she reflected, however, that appearances were against her, and that nothing but real friendship could have prompted him to speak, to counsel her, as he had done, resentment gave way to gratitude; she warmly acknowledged her obligations to him for his anxiety about her, and hastened to exculpate herself in his eyes. To do this was not a difficult matter. Woodville could not doubt her solemn assurances of having met lord Gwytherin but by accident, and being detained by him against her inclination; and perhaps, had Egbert doubted her truth and constancy, he could not have felt a purer joy at finding her able to vindicate both, than Woodville experienced.

CHAP. XII.

Forgive me, if I cannot better answer, "Than by weeping."

ROWS.

WOODVILLE and Jacintha separated soon after the explanation which had taken place between them; and the former went to amuse himself, by rambling about the grounds.

As he was returning through the shrubbery, which curiosity to know whether lord Gwytherin would again be there, induced him to do, he thought he heard a low murmur of voices from a path at a little distance, and which was thickly shaded by tall evergreens. With trembling eagerness he paused a moment to listen; then lightly stepping forward, he beheld two persons slowly advancing down the path, one of whom, he knew, at the first glance, to be the disguised lord Gwytherin, and the other greatly resembled Jacintha, in figure; but a thick veil which shaded her face, together with the dusky light that now prevailed, for he had prolonged his walk to a late hour, prevented him from distinguishing her features.

Determined not to lose such an opportunity of ascertaining whether the suspicions, which again began to pervade his mind, were well or

ill-founded, Woodville sprang forward without hesitation; but the moment he did so, lord Gwytherin and his companion, who had not till then observed him, separated, and taking opposite directions, were almost immediately out of sight.

Woodville could not hesitate a moment which to follow. His anxiety to know who the lady was, made him eagerly pursue her steps; but not all the expedition he used enabled him to overtake her, and he reached the house breathless and disappointed.

The first object he cast his eyes upon, on entering the hall, was Jacintha, muffled up exactly as the person was whom he had seen with lord Gwytherin. That she was that person, he now could scarcely doubt; and it would have been difficult to determine whether regret or indignation were most predominant in his mind at her supposed duplicity. Jacintha, who was ascending the stairs at his entrance, paused to speak to him; but, instead of replying to what she said, he cast a disdainful glance upon her, and passed into the parlour.

Confounded by this conduct, Jacintha stood for a few minutes transfixed to the spot. She could only account for it by supposing, that either his suspicions had not been entirely removed in the morning, or had since revived...an idea which wounded her as severely as their disclosure had done; and nothing but the horror she felt at lying under them, could have induced her to follow him into the parlour, in order to receive an explanation of it; or, at least, to inquire his motives for treating her in a manner so little expected.