"And the door shut?" said the Countess. "Quick, then, go down; and we will follow you in two minutes."
Without reply, the girl quitted the chamber; and Lady Shrewsbury, turning to her niece, kissed her cheek, whispering, "Take courage, take courage, Arabel. I trust all will go well. 'Tis but a little hurry."
The next instant, however, Ida Mara returned, with a pale cheek, and the tears in her eyes.
"There is a guard at the foot of the stairs," she said, "who would not let me pass. He has orders, he told me, to stop every one, and turn them back."
Arabella sank into a seat, and covered her eyes with her hands, while the Countess gazed down stedfastly upon the ground, in deep thought. At length she exclaimed,--
"Call the girl hither, Ida, who came in a few minutes ago."
The fair Italian obeyed at once, and in a moment or two a pretty-looking maid, somewhat vain and coquettish in her dress and appearance, presented herself before the Countess.
"Now, answer me truly, girl," said Lady Shrewsbury. "To whom did you show the note that was given to you a few minutes ago for your mistress?"
The girl's cheek turned crimson, and she was silent.
"Answer me," exclaimed the Countess, sternly; "answer me. Your face betrays you!"