kind, burst into an eulogium on her brilliant colour. So they passed on
towards the garden side of the house. Wheels--the tramp of hoofs, full
gallop; and George Morley, looking up, exclaimed: "Ha! here comes Lionel!
and see, Darrell is hastening out to welcome him!"




CHAPTER IX.

THE LETTER ON WHICH RICHARD FAIRTHORN RELIED FOR THE DEFEAT OF THE
CONSPIRACY AGAINST FAWLEY MANOR-HOUSE. BAD ASPECTS FOR HOUSES. THE
HOUSE OF VIPONT IS THREATENED. A PHYSICIAN ATTEMPTS TO MEDICINE TO
A MIND DISEASED. A STRANGE COMMUNICATION, WHICH HURRIES THE READER
ONTO THE NEXT CHAPTER.

It has been said that Fairthorn had committed to a certain letter his
last desperate hope that something might yet save Fawley from demolition,
and himself and his master from an exile's home in that smiling nook of
earth to which Horace invited Septimius, as uniting the advantages of a
mild climate, excellent mutton, capital wine; and affording to Septimius
the prospective privilege of sprinkling a tear over the cinder of his
poetical friend while the cinder was yet warm; inducements which had no
charm at all to Fairthorn, who was quite satisfied with the Fawley
southdowns--held in just horror all wishy-washy light wines--and had no
desire to see Darrell reduced to a cinder for the pleasure of sprinkling
that cinder with a tear.

The letter in question was addressed to Lady Montfort. Unscrupulously
violating the sacred confidence of his master, the treacherous wretch,