"I will not see him," I said indignantly. "No gentleman would try to obtain an interview with a lady without her own permission; and yet, if he really has news of Oliver——! Oh, Beatrice, what shall I do?"
'But Beatrice would do nothing but laugh at my perplexities, and declare that I was as discreet and formal in my ideas as Lady Derby herself.
'"Conceive the Countess's horror," she said, "if it ever came to her ears that Mistress Frances Dalrymple, the most discreet, well-behaved damsel in the Palace, had had a secret interview with a mysterious stranger under her very nose! Oh, I would give anything to see her face when she found it out!" And Beatrice went into another fit of laughter, from which she recovered with some difficulty, and went on: "Seriously, Frances, you ought to be very much obliged to me for taking all this trouble to procure you news from your brother. Why, only half an hour ago you were in despair because you had not heard from him."
'"But then, why all this secrecy?" I objected again, though rather more faintly.
'"Pshaw, child, how suspicious you are! There may be twenty reasons for that. The gentleman may be in debt; he may have killed his antagonist in a duel; or suppose he should be your brother himself, in some dreadful difficulty or danger, come home to see you in disguise!"
'"Oh, if I thought that!" I cried, starting up. "But it is too improbable; and yet I don't know Oliver is so very rash and hasty, he might have involved himself in some serious trouble, and be afraid of applying to my father; but then it could not be safe for him to come here."
'"Ah! now you are getting something more reasonable, so I will tell you what I have arranged. Truth to tell, the gentleman did want me to promise that you should meet him in the park early this morning, but I thought I never should be able to make you agree to that; for it did not strike me till this moment that he might be only your brother after all. Do you know, Frances, I shall be quite disappointed if he is; it spoils my little romance completely."
'"Hush! oh, hush! It must be Oliver. Why did I not think of it before? Tell me quick, when am I to see him, and where? And are you sure he will not be discovered? I cannot think how you have contrived it."
'"Ah! that is my affair. Do you suppose I have never managed a secret meeting before now? But don't look so frightened. Not a soul in the Palace will be the wiser for Mr. Carroll's comings and goings. He is to be a haberdasher, come to shew you some new stuffs for your dress at the masquerade next week. One of the pages of the back-stairs, on whom I can depend, will conduct him here, and will answer any questions that are asked about him. What o'clock was that—four? He will be here directly."
'"Directly? Oh, Beatrice! I had no idea it was to be so soon. Why did you not tell me all this earlier?"