Beatrice or himself a marriage without the consent, and even the
knowledge, of his parents, yet Randal was quite content to leave a
nature, however good, so thoroughly impulsive and undisciplined, to the
influences of the first strong passion it had ever known. Meanwhile, it
was so easy to dissuade Frank from even giving a hint to the folks at
home. "For," said the wily and able traitor, "though we may be sure of
Mrs. Hazeldean's consent, and her power over your father, when the step
is once taken, yet we cannot count for certain on the squire, he is so
choleric and hasty. He might hurry to town, see Madame di Negra, blurt
out some passionate, rude expressions, which would wake her resentment,
and cause her instant rejection. And it might be too late if he repented
afterwards, as he would be sure to do."

Meanwhile Randal Leslie gave a dinner at the Clarendon Hotel (an
extravagance most contrary to his habits), and invited Frank, Mr.
Borrowell, and Baron Levy.

But this house-spider, which glided with so much ease after its flies,
through webs so numerous and mazy, had yet to amuse Madame di Negra with
assurances that the fugitives sought for would sooner or later be
discovered. Though Randal baffled and eluded her suspicion that he was
already acquainted with the exiles ("the persons he had thought of were,"
he said, "quite different from her description;" and he even presented to
her an old singing-master and a sallow-faced daughter, as the Italians
who had caused his mistake), it was necessary for Beatrice to prove the
sincerity of the aid she had promised to her brother, and to introduce
Randal to the count. It was no less desirable to Randal to know, and
even win the confidence of this man--his rival.

The two met at Madame di Negra's house. There is something very strange,