"
"When I have found her it will be time to defend her beauty! If your
ladyship would only tell me where she is, you know not what gratitude
I should feel!"
"I dare say, but that's my secret. My mamma and yours would be ready
to kill me with rage if they knew I had let out even so much."
"They would forgive you. Come, Lady Belle, think of her brave old
father, and give some clue to finding her. Where is she?"
"Ah! where you will never get at her!"
"Is she at Queen's Square?"
"What would you do if you thought she was? Get a constable and come
and search? Oh, what a rage Madam would be in! Goodness me, what
sport!" and she fell back in a violent giggling fit; but the two
matrons were so delighted to see the young people talking to one
another, that there was no attempt to repress her. Sir Amyas made
another attempt to elicit whether Aurelia were really at the school
in Queen's Square, but Lady Arabella still refused to answer directly.
Then he tried the expedient of declaring that she was only trying to
tease him, and had not really seen the lady. He pretended not to
believe her, but when she insisted, "Hair just the colour of Lady
Belamour's," his incredulity vanished; but on his next entreaty, she
put on a sly look imitated from the evil world in which she lived,
and declared she should not encourage naughty doings.
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