‘And done with so much true gallantry, too,’ said the other; ’expressing himself quite willing to postpone any views of his own for your advantage.’

‘Yes;’ said Patience; ’that’s what I value so much:  had he loved me now, there would have been no merit on his part; but a sacrifice you know—­’

’Yes, ladies are so fond of such sacrifices, Frank, upon my word, I had no idea you were so very excellent at making speeches.’

‘Well,’ said Frank, ’I shouldn’t have said sacrifice, that was a slip; what I meant was—­’

‘Oh, dear me,’ said Patience, ’wait a minute; now we are going to have a regular declaration.  Lady Margaretta, you haven’t a scent-bottle, have you?  And if I should faint, where’s the garden-chair?’

‘Oh, but I’m not going to make a declaration at all,’ said Frank.

’Are you not?  Oh!  Now, Lady Margaretta, I appeal to you; did you not understand him to say something very particular?’

‘Certainly, I thought nothing could be plainer,’ said the Lady Margaretta.

‘And so, Mr Gresham, I am to be told, that after all it means nothing,’ said Patience, putting her handkerchief up to her eyes.

‘It means that you are an excellent hand at quizzing a fellow like me.’

’Quizzing!  No; but you are an excellent hand at deceiving a poor girl like me.  Well, remember, I have got a witness; here is Lady Margaretta, who heard it all.  What a pity it is that my brother is a clergyman.  You calculated on that, I know; or you would never had served me so.’

She said so just as her brother joined them, or rather just as he had joined Lady Margaretta de Courcy; for her ladyship and Mr Oriel walked on in advance by themselves.  Lady Margaretta had found it rather dull work, making a third in Miss Oriel’s flirtation with her cousin; the more so as she was quite accustomed to take a principal part herself in all such transactions.  She therefore not unwillingly walked on with Mr Oriel.  Mr Oriel, it must be conceived, was not a common, everyday parson, but had points about him which made him quite fit to associate with an earl’s daughter.  And as it was known that he was not a marrying man, having very exalted ideas on that point connected with his profession, the Lady Margaretta, of course, had the less objection to trust herself alone with him.

But directly she was gone, Miss Oriel’s tone of banter ceased.  It was very well making a fool of a lad of twenty-one when others were by; but there might be danger in it when they were alone together.

’I don’t know any position on earth more enviable than yours, Mr Gresham,’ said she, quite soberly and earnestly; ’how happy you ought to be.’

’What, in being laughed at by you, Miss Oriel, for pretending to be a man, when you choose to make out that I am only a boy?  I can bear to be laughed at pretty well generally, but I can’t say that your laughing at me makes me feel so happy as you say I ought to be.’