decree of imprisonment against Dorothy, and she, being unable to leave the
Hall, could not go to Bowling Green Gate to meet Sir John. Before I had
learned of the new trysting-place John had ridden thither several evenings
to meet Dorothy, but had found only Jennie bearing her mistress's excuses.
I supposed his journeyings had been to Overhaddon; but I did not press his
confidence, nor did he give it.

Sir George's treatment of Dorothy had taught her that the citadel of her
father's wrath could be stormed only by gentleness, and an opportunity was
soon presented in which she used that effective engine of feminine warfare
to her great advantage.

As I have told you, Sir George was very rich. No man, either noble or
gentle, in Derbyshire or in any of the adjoining counties, possessed so
great an estate or so beautiful a hall as did he. In France we would have
called Haddon Hall a grand château.

Sir George's deceased wife had been a sister to the Earl of Derby, who
lived at the time of which I am now writing. The earl had a son, James,
who was heir to the title and to the estates of his father. The son was a
dissipated, rustic clown--almost a simpleton. He had the vulgarity of a
stable boy and the vices of a courtier. His associates were chosen from
the ranks of gamesters, ruffians, and tavern maids. Still, he was a scion
of one of the greatest families of England's nobility.

After Sir George's trouble with Dorothy, growing out of his desire that I
should wed her, the King of the Peak had begun to feel that in his
beautiful daughter he had upon his hands a commodity that might at any
time cause him trouble. He therefore determined to marry her to some
eligible gentleman as quickly as possible, and to place the heavy