 to England; to send an answer to Miss Mowbray that
meant nothing; and to gain time for farther enquiries. These enquiries
he himself undertook; and leaving Lord Montreville in a political fit of
the gout, he returned from Audley Hall to London, and bent all his
thoughts to the accomplishment of his design; which was, to get the
original papers out of the hands of Emmeline, and to bribe Le Limosin to
go back to France.

While these things were passing in England, Lord Delamere (whose rage
and indignation at Emmeline's departure the authority of Lord Westhaven
could hardly restrain) had learned from his brother-in-law the real
circumstances of the birth of his cousin, and he heard them with the
greatest satisfaction. He now thought it certain that his father would
press his marriage as eagerly as he had before opposed it; and that so
great an obstacle being removed, and Emmeline wholly in the power of
his family, she would be easily brought to forgive him and to comply
with the united wishes of all her relations.

In this hope, and being assured by Lord Westhaven that Bellozane was
actually returned into Switzerland without any design of following
Emmeline, (who had been induced, he said, to leave Besançon purely to
avoid him) he consented to attempt attaining a greater command over his
temper, on which the re-establishment of his health depended; and after
about ten days, was able to travel. Lord and Lady Westhaven, therefore,
at the end of that time, slowly began with him their journey to England.







Emmeline had now been almost a week in London; and Mrs. Stafford, with
the assistance of Godolphin, had succeeded so much better than she
expected, in the arrangement of some of those affairs in which she
apprehended the most difficulty, that very little remained for her to do
before she should be enabled to return to France (where her husband was
to sign some papers to secure his safety); and that little depended on
James Crofts, who seemed to be making artificial delay, and trying to
give her all the trouble and perplexity in his power.

He had, however, another motive than merely to harrass and distress her.
His father had employed him to deal with Le Limosin; well knowing that
there was nothing so base and degrading that he would not undertake
where his interest was in question; and Sir Richard had promised him a
considerable addition to his fortune if he had address enough to prevent
so capital a sum as Emmeline claimed from being deducted from that of
the family to whom his brother was allied; and from
