“I have been foolish, Lady de Courcy.”

“Of course; I did not mean anything worse than that.  Yes, you have been foolish;—­amusing yourself in a thoughtless way, you know, and, perhaps, a little piqued because a certain lady was not to be won so easily as your Royal Highness wished.  Well, now, all that must be settled, you know, as quickly as possible.  I don’t want to ask any indiscreet questions; but if the young lady has really been left with any idea that you meant anything, don’t you think you should undeceive her at once?”

“Of course he will, mamma.”

“Of course you will; and it will be a great comfort to Alexandrina to know that the matter is arranged.  You hear what Lady Julia is saying almost every hour of her life.  Now, of course, Alexandrina does not care what an old maid like Lady Julia may say; but it will be better for all parties that the rumour should be put a stop to.  If the earl were to hear it, he might, you know—­” And the countess shook her head, thinking that she could thus best indicate what the earl might do, if he were to take it into his head to do anything.

Crosbie could not bring himself to hold any very confidential intercourse with the countess about Lily; but he gave a muttered assurance that he should, as a matter of course, make known the truth to Miss Dale with as little delay as possible.  He could not say exactly when he would write, nor whether he would write to her or to her mother; but the thing should be done immediately on his return to town.

“If it will make the matter easier, I will write to Mrs Dale,” said the countess.  But to this scheme Mr Crosbie objected very strongly.

And then a few words were said about the earl.  “I will tell him this afternoon,” said the countess; “and then you can see him to-morrow morning.  I don’t suppose he will say very much, you know; and perhaps he may think,—­you won’t mind my saying it, I’m sure,—­that Alexandrina might have done better.  But I don’t believe that he’ll raise any strong objection.  There will be something about settlements, and that sort of thing, of course.”  Then the countess went away, and Alexandrina was left with her lover for half an hour.  When the half-hour was over, he felt that he would have given all that he had in the world to have back the last four-and-twenty hours of his existence.  But he had no hope.  To jilt Lily Dale would, no doubt, be within his power, but he knew that he could not jilt Lady Alexandrina de Courcy.

On the next morning at twelve o’clock he had his interview with the father, and a very unpleasant interview it was.  He was ushered into the earl’s room, and found the great peer standing on the rug, with his back to the fire, and his hands in his breeches pockets.

“So you mean to marry my daughter?” said he.  “I’m not very well, as you see; I seldom am.”

These last words were spoken in answer to Crosbie’s greeting.  Crosbie had held out his hand to the earl, and had carried his point so far that the earl had been forced to take one of his own out of his pocket, and give it to his proposed son-in-law.