“I was content then.  He was very kind to me.”

“Content then, eh?  Suppose you were told he was your real husband?”

“Sir, he is not!” cried Aurelia, frightened.

“If he were?”

“I would try to do my duty,” she said, in a choked voice.

“Silly child, don’t cry.  And how, if after these fool’s tricks it turns out that the other young spark is bound to that red-faced little spitfire and cannot have you?”

“Papa, don’t!” she cried.  “You know he is my husband in my heart, and always will be, and if he cannot come back to me take me home, and I will try to be a good daughter to you,” and she hid her face on his shoulder.

“Poor child, it is a shame to tease her,” said her father, raising up her face; “I only wanted to know which of them you would wish to put on the ring again.  I see.  You need not be afraid, you shall have the ruby one.  But as for the little gold one, wait for that till it is put on in church, my dear.  Ah! and there’s the flutter of his wings, or rather the rattle of his spurs.  Now then, young people, you shall not be hindered from a full view of each others lineaments.  It is the first time you ever had a real sight of each other, neither of you being in a swoon, is it not?  I trust you do not repent upon further acquaintance.  Aurelia got as far as the shoe-buckles once, I believe.”

“She will get no farther this time, sir, if you annihilate her with your pleasantry,” said Betty, fully convinced by this time.

“Ah! young Love has made himself more dazzling than ever,” continued the Major, too delighted to be stopped.  “The fullest dress uniform, I declare; M. le Capitaine is bent on doing honour to the occasion.”

“Would that it were on for no other reason, sir,” said Sir Amyas; “but the King and Queen have taken it into their heads to go off to Kew and here am I under orders to command the escort.  I verily believe it is all spite on the Colonel’s part, for Russell would have exchanged the turn with me, but he sent down special orders for me.  I have but half an hour to spend here, and when I shall be able to get back again Heaven only knows.”

However, he and Aurelia were permitted to improve that half hour to the utmost in their own way, while the Major and Betty were reading a long and characteristic letter from Mrs. Arden, inquiring certainly for her sister’s fate, but showing far more solicitude in proving that she (Harriet Arden) had acted a wise, prudent, and sisterly part, and that it was most unreasonable and cruel to treat her as accountable for her sister’s disappearance.  It was really making her quite ill, and Mr. Arden was like a man—­so disagreeable about it.

Betty was very glad this epistle had not come till it was possible to laugh at it.  She would have sat down to reply to it at once, had not a billet been brought in from the widow of one of her father’s old brother officers who had heard of his being in town, and begged him to bring his daughter to see her, excusing herself for not waiting on Miss Delavie, as she was very feeble and infirm.