"My dear Miss Portman," said she, "you have a great deal of good-nature, else I should not venture to apply to you on the present occasion. Will you oblige me, and serve a friend of mine--a gentleman who, as I once imagined, was an admirer of yours?"

"I will do any thing in my power to oblige any friend of yours, madam,"

said Belinda; "but of whom are you speaking?"

"Of Mr. Hervey, my dear young lady."

"Tell me how I can serve him as a friend," said Belinda, colouring deeply.

"That you shall know immediately," said Mrs. Delacour, rummaging and rustling for a considerable time amongst a heap of letters, which she had pulled out of the largest pockets that ever woman wore, even in the last century.

"Oh, here it is," continued she, opening and looking into them. "May I trouble you just to look over this letter? It is from poor Mr. Hartley; he is, as you will see, excessively fond of his daughter, whom he has so fortunately discovered after his long search: he is dreadfully nervous, and has been terribly annoyed by these idle gossiping stories. You find, by what Lady Boucher said at dinner, that they have settled it amongst them that Virginia is not a fit person to be visited; that she has been Clarence's mistress instead of his pupil. Mr. Hartley, you see by this letter, is almost out of his senses with the apprehension that his daughter's reputation is ruined. I sent my carriage to Twickenham, the moment I received this letter, for the poor girl and her gouvernante.

They came to me this morning; but what can I do? I am only one old woman against a confederacy of veteran gossips; but if I could gain you and Lady Delacour for my allies, I should fear no adversaries. Virginia is to stay with me for some days; and Lady Delacour, I see, has a great mind to come to see her; but she does not like to come without you, and she says that she does not like to ask you to accompany her. I don't understand her delicacy about the matter--I have none; believing, as I do, that there is no foundation whatever for these malicious reports, which, _entre nous_, originated, I fancy, with Mrs. Marriott. Now, will you oblige me? If you and Lady Delacour will come and see Virginia to-morrow, all the world would follow your example the next day. It's often cowardice that makes people ill-natured: have you the courage, my good Miss Portman, to be the first to do a benevolent action? I do a.s.sure you," continued Mrs. Delacour with great earnestness, "I do a.s.sure you I would as soon put my hand into that fire, this moment, as ask you to do any thing that I thought improper. But forgive me for pressing this point; I am anxious to have your suffrage in her favour: Miss Belinda Portman's character for prudence and propriety stands so high, and is fixed so firmly, that she may venture to let us cling to it; and I am as well convinced of the poor girl's innocence as I am of yours; and when you see her, you will be of my opinion."

"I a.s.sure you, Mrs. Delacour," said Belinda, "that you have wasted a great deal of eloquence upon this occasion, for--"

"I am sorry for it," interrupted Mrs. Delacour, rising from her seat, with a look of some displeasure. "I meant not to distress or offend you, Miss Portman, by _my eloquence_: I am only concerned that I should have so far mistaken your character as to expose myself to this refusal."

"I have given no refusal," said Belinda, mildly: "you did not let me finish my sentence."

"I beg pardon; that is a foolish old trick of mine."

"Mrs. Delacour, I was going to say, has wasted a great deal of eloquence: for I am entirely of her opinion, and I shall, with the greatest readiness, comply with her request."

"You are a charming, generous girl, and I am a pa.s.sionate old fool--thank you a thousand times."

"You are not at all obliged to me," said Belinda. "When I first heard this story, I believed it, as Lady Boucher now does--but I have had reason to alter my opinion, and perhaps the same means of information would have changed hers; once convinced, it is impossible to relapse into suspicion."

"Impossible to _you_: the most truly virtuous women are always the least suspicious and uncharitable in their opinion of their own s.e.x. Lady Anne Percival inspired me with this belief, and Miss Portman confirms it.

I admire your courage in daring to come forward in the defence of innocence. I am very rude, alas! for praising you so much."

"I have not a right to your admiration," said Belinda; "for I must honestly confess to you that I should not have this courage if there were any danger in the case. I do not think that in doubtful cases it is the business of a young woman to hazard her own reputation by an attempt to preserve another's: I do not imagine, at least, that I am of sufficient consequence in the world for this purpose; therefore I should never attempt it. It is the duty of such women as Mrs. Delacour, whose reputation is beyond the power of scandal, to come forward in the defence of injured innocence; but this would not be courage in Belinda Portman, it would be presumption and temerity."

"Well, if you will not let me admire your courage, or your generosity, or your prudence," said Mrs. Delacour laughing, "you must positively let me admire _you_ altogether, and love you too, for I cannot help it.

Farewell."

After the company was gone, Lady Delacour was much surprised by the earnestness with which Belinda pressed the request that they might the next morning pay a visit to Virginia.

"My dear," said Lady Delacour, "to tell you the truth, I am full of curiosity, and excessively anxious to go. I hesitated merely on your account: I fancied that you would not like the visit, and that if I went without you, it might be taken notice of; but I am delighted to find that you will come with me: I can only say that you have more generosity than I should have in the same situation."

The next morning they went together to Mrs. Delacour's. In their way thither, Belinda, to divert her own thoughts, and to rouse Lady Delacour from the profound and unnatural silence into which she had fallen, pet.i.tioned her to finish the history of Sir Philip Baddely, the dog, Miss Annabella Luttridge, and her billet-doux.

"For some of my high crimes and misdemeanours, you vowed that you would not tell me the remainder of the story till the whole week had elapsed; now will you satisfy my curiosity? You recollect that you left off just where you said that you were come to the best part of the story."

"Was I? did I?--Very true, we shall have time enough to finish it by-and-by, my dear," said Lady Delacour; "at present my poor head is running upon something else, and I have left off being an accomplished actress, or I could talk of one subject and think of another as well as the best of you.--Stop the carriage, my dear; I am afraid they have forgot my orders."

"Did you carry what I desired this morning to Mrs. Delacour?" said her ladyship to one of the footmen.

"I did, my lady."

"And did you say from me, that it was not to be opened till I came?'

"Yes, my lady."

"Where did you leave it?"

"In Mrs. Delacour's dressing-room, my lady:--she desired me to take it up there, and she locked the door, and said no one should go in till you came."

"Very well--go on. Belinda, my dear, I hope that I have worked up your curiosity to the highest pitch."

CHAPTER x.x.xI.

THE DENOUEMENT.

Curiosity was not, at this instant, the strongest pa.s.sion in Belinda's mind. When the carriage stopped at Mrs. Delacour's door, her heart almost ceased to beat; but she summoned resolution to go through, with firmness and dignity, the task she had undertaken.

Clarence Hervey was not in the room when they entered, nor was Virginia: Mrs. Ormond said that she had been extremely feverish during the night, and that she had advised her not to get up till late in the day. But Mrs. Delacour immediately went for her, and in a few minutes she made her appearance.

Belinda and Lady Delacour exchanged a glance of surprise and admiration.

There was a grace and simplicity in her manner, joined to an air of navete, that made an irresistible impression in her favour. Lady Delacour, however, after the first surprise was over, seemed to relapse into her former opinion; and the piercing looks which her ladyship from time to time cast upon Virginia as she spoke, produced their effect.

She was abashed and silent. Belinda endeavoured to engage her in conversation, and to her she talked with ease and even with freedom.

Virginia examined Miss Portman's countenance with a species of artless curiosity and interest, that was not restrained by fact.i.tious politeness. This examination was not peculiarly agreeable to Belinda, yet it was made with so much apparent simplicity, that she could not be displeased.

On the first pause in the conversation, Mrs. Delacour said, "Pray, my dear Lady Delacour, what is this wonderful present that you sent to me this morning, which you desired that no one should see till you came?"

"I cannot satisfy your curiosity yet," replied Lady Delacour. "I must wait till Clarence Hervey comes, for the present is intended for him."

An air of solemn mystery in her ladyship's manner, as she p.r.o.nounced these words, excited general attention. There was a dead silence, which lasted several minutes: some feeble attempts were then made by each of the company to start a fresh subject of conversation; but it would not do--all relapsed into the silence of expectation. At last Clarence Hervey arrived. Belinda rejoiced that the universal curiosity which Lady Delacour had inspired prevented any one's observing the sudden change in Mr. Hervey's countenance when he beheld her.

"A pretty set of curious children you are!" cried Lady Delacour, laughing. "Do you know, Clarence, that they are all dying with impatience to see _un gage d'amitie_ that I have brought for you; and the reason that they are so curious is simply because I had the address to say, in a solemn voice, 'I cannot satisfy your curiosity till Clarence Hervey arrives.' Now follow me, my friends; and if you be disappointed, lay the blame, not on me, but on your own imaginations."

She led the way to Mrs. Delacour's dressing-room, and all the company followed.

"Now, what do you expect to see?" said she, putting the key into the door.

After waiting some moments for a reply, but in vain, she threw open the door, and they saw, hung before the wall opposite to them, a green curtain.

"I thought, my dear Clarence," resumed Lady Delacour, "that no present could be more agreeable to you than a companion for your Virginia. Does this figure," continued she, drawing back the curtain, "does this figure give you the idea of Paul?"

"Paul!" said Clarence; "it is a naval officer in full uniform: what can your ladyship mean?"

"Virginia perhaps will know what I mean, if you will only stand out of her way, and let her see the picture."

At these words Clarence made way for Virginia: she turned her eyes upon the picture, uttered a piercing shriek, and fell senseless upon the floor.