CHAPTER LX
CHAPTER LXI
CHAPTER LXII
CHAPTER LXIII
CHAPTER LXIV
CHAPTER LXV
CHAPTER LXVI
CHAPTER LXVII
CHAPTER LXVIII
CHAPTER LXIX
CHAPTER LXX
CHAPTER LXXI
CHAPTER LXXII
CHAPTER LXXIII
CHAPTER LXXIV
CHAPTER LXXV
CHAPTER LXXVI
Juliet was precipitately followed by Lord Melbury.
'It is not, then,' he cried, 'your intention to return to Mrs Ireton?'
'No, my lord, never!'
She had but just uttered these words, when, immediately facing her, shebeheld Mrs Howel.
A spectre could not have made her start more affrighted, could not haveappeared to her more horrible. And Lord Melbury, who earnestly, at thesame moment, had pronounced, 'Tell me whither, then,—' stoppingabruptly, looked confounded.
'May I ask your lordship to take me to Lady Aurora?' Mrs Howel coldlydemanded.
'Aurora?—Yes;—she is there, Ma'am;—still in the gallery.'
Mrs Howel presented him her hand, palpably to force him with her; andstalked past Juliet, without any other demonstration of perceiving herthan what was unavoidably manifested by an heightened air of haughtydisdain.
Lord Melbury, distressed, would still have hung back; but Mrs Howel,taking his arm, proceeded, as if without observing his repugnance.
Juliet, in trembling dismay, glided on till she entered a vacantapartment, of which the door was open. To avoid intrusion, she wasshutting herself in; but, upon some one's applying, nearly the nextminute, for admittance, the fear of new misconstruction forced her toopen the door. What, then, was her shock at again viewing Mrs Howel! Shestarted back involuntarily, and her countenance depicted undisguisedhorrour.
With a brow of almost petrifying severity, sternly fixing her eyes upon[Pg 540]Juliet, Mrs Howel, for a dreadful moment, seemed internally suspended,not between hardness and mercy, but between accusation and punishment.At length, in a tone, from the deep sounds of which Juliet shrunk, buthad no means to retire, she slowly pronounced, while her head rose moreloftily at every word, 'You abscond from Mrs Ireton, though she wouldpermit you to remain with her? 'Tis to Lord Melbury that you reveal yourpurpose; and the inexperienced youth whom you would seduce, is the onlyperson that can fail to discover your ultimate design, in taking themoment of meeting with him, for quitting the honourable protection whichsnatches you from want, if not from disgrace: at the same time that itoffers security to a noble family, justly alarmed for the morals, if notfor the honour of its youthful and cred