door--"Yes, it is a matter of life and death!--Stay, Mr. Temple! Mr. Percy!
going the moment I come into the room--Impossible!"

"Impossible it would be," said Mr. Temple, "in any other case; but--"

"'When a lady's in the case,
You know all other things give place,'"

cried Lady Frances. "So, positively, gentlemen, I stop the way. But, Mr.
Temple, to comfort you--for I never saw a man, gallant or ungallant, look
so impatient--I shall not be able to stay above a moment--Thank you, Mrs.
Percy, I can't sit down--Mrs. Crabstock, the crossest of Crabstocks and
stiffest of pattern-women, is in the carriage waiting for me. Give me
joy--I have accomplished my purpose, and without Lady Jane Granville's
assistance--obtained a permit to go with Lady Trant, and made her take me
to Lady Angelica's last night. Grand conversazione!--Saw the German baron!
Caught both the profiles--have 'em here--defy you not to smile. Look,"
cried her ladyship, drawing out of her _reticule_ a caricature, which she
put into Caroline's hand; and, whilst she was looking at it, Lady Frances
went on speaking rapidly. "Only a sketch, a scrawl in pencil, while they
thought I was copying a Sonnet to Wisdom--on the worst bit of paper, too,
in the world--old cover of a letter I stole from Lady Trant's _reticule_
while she was at cards. Mr. Temple, you shall see my _chef-d'oeuvre_ by and
by; don't look at the reverse of the medal, pray. Did not I tell you, you
were the most impatient man in the world?"

It was true that Mr. Temple was at this instant most impatient to get
possession of the paper, for on the back of that cover of the letter, on
which the caricature was drawn, the hand-writing of the direction appeared
to him--He dared scarcely believe his eyes--his hopes.