“So she does to Hargrave, whom she sent off to interrogate Mrs. Arden,” said Mr. Belamour.

“Have you any reason to think the child could have reached my Lady?” inquired Betty, seeing that none of the gentlemen regarded my Lady’s denials as making any difference to their belief, though not one of them chose to say so.

“Merely negative evidence,” said Mr. Belamour.  “I find that no one in the house actually beheld the departure of my Lady on that Sunday afternoon.  The little girls had been found troublesome, and sent out into the park with Molly, and my nephew was giving full employment to Jumbo and Mrs. Aylward in my room.  The groom, who was at the horses’ heads, once averred that he saw two women get into the carriage besides her ladyship; but he is such a sodden confused fellow, and so contradicts himself, that I can make nothing of him.”

“He would surely know his young mistress,” said Sir Amyas.

“Perhaps not in the camlet hood, which Dame Wheatfield says she wore.”

“Was good old Dove acting as coachman?” said Betty.  “We should learn something from him.”

“It was not her own coach,” said Mr. Belamour.  “All the servants were strangers, the liveries sanguine, and the panels painted with helmets and trophies.”

“Mar’s,” said Sir Amyas, low and bitterly.

“I guessed as much,” said his uncle.  “It was probably chosen on purpose, if the child has friends in your own household.”

“Then I must demand her,” said the Major.  “She cannot be denied to her father.”

“At any rate we must go to town to-morrow,” said Mr. Belamour.  “We have done all we can here.”

“Let us send for horses and go on at once,” cried Sir Amyas.

“Not so fast, nephew.  I see, by her face, that Miss Delavie does not approve, though our side of the town is safer than Hounslow.”

“I was not thinking of highwaymen, sir, but we set forth at five this morning, and Sir Amyas always becomes flushed and feverish if he is over fatigued; nor is my father so strong as he was.”

“Ah, ha! young sir, in adopting Betty for a sister you find you have adopted a quartermaster-general, eh?” said the Major; “but she is quite right.  We should not get to town before ten or eleven at night, and what good would that do?  No, no, let us sup and have a good night’s rest, and we will drive into town long enough before fine ladies are astir in the morning, whatever may be the fashionable hour nowadays.”

“Yes, nephew, you must content yourself with acting host to your father and sister-in-law in your own house,” said his uncle.

“It seems to me more like yours, sir,” rejoined the youth; but at the hall door, with all his native grace, he turned and gave his welcome, kissing Betty on the cheek with the grave ceremony of the host, and lamenting, poor fellow, that he stood alone without his bride to receive them.