paragraph headed, "Sudden and alarming illness of Mr. Trevanion," the
marquis had suspected some party manoeuvre or unfeeling hoax, since the
mail that had brought the letter must have travelled as quickly as any
messenger who had given the information to the newspaper. He had,
however, immediately sent down to the office of the journal to inquire
on what authority the paragraph had been inserted, while he despatched
another messenger to St. James's Square. The reply from the office was
that the message had been brought by a servant in Mr. Trevanion's
livery, but was not admitted as news until it had been ascertained by
inquiries at the minister's house that Lady Ellinor had received the
same intelligence, and actually left town in consequence.

"I was extremely sorry for poor Lady Ellinor's uneasiness," said Lord
Castleton, "and extremely puzzled; but I still thought there could be no
real ground for alarm until your letter reached me. And when you there
stated your conviction that Mr. Gower was mixed up in this fable, and
that it concealed some snare upon Fanny, I saw the thing at a glance.
The road to Lord N--'s, till within the last stage or two, would be the
road to Scotland. And a hardy and unscrupulous adventurer, with the
assistance of Miss Trevanion's servants, might thus entrap her to
Scotland itself, and there work on her fears, or if he had hope in her
affections, entrap her into consent to a Scotch marriage. You may be
sure, therefore, that I was on the road as soon as possible. But as
your messenger came all the way from the City, and not so quickly
perhaps as he might have come; and then as there was the carriage to see
to, and the horses to send for,--I found myself more than an hour and a
half behind you. Fortunately, however, I made good ground, and should
probably have overtaken you half-way, but that, on passing between a
ditch and wagon, the carriage was upset, and that somewhat delayed me.
On arriving at the town where the road branched off to Lord N--'s, I was