By the time Mrs. Melford was seated composedly, Louisa had partly recovered from the violent agitation the sight of Walter Stanley had occasioned her. Mrs. Melford immediately began to question her, as to who the gentleman was who had caused such a revolution in her spirits, and made her even inattentive to the forms of good manners ‘I thought,’ said she, ‘your intention was to run away with him; you were in/ such haste to get away from us: pray do tell us his name, for I am dying to know.’

When Louisa informed her, and mentioned his affinity to the family of Sir Walter Stanley, the most intimate friends of her youth, Mrs. Melford was inexpressibly surprised.

‘Lord Belmour! ‘said she, ‘son of the Earl of Delville; a family I have heard so often of in Cumberland; surely, Miss Fitzormond, you might have introduced his Lordship to me; we could have talked over so many things, as country folks always do, that I declare it would have been quite pleasant. I so seldom meet with a countryman; but perhaps he will call on you; you knew you were welcome to give him an invitation to my house: as he is such a great man, I should have been proud of the honour.’

Louisa said she did not offer to introduce/ his Lordship to them, as she imagined it might not be agreeable to either party; and as his Lordship was not a very intimate friend of hers, of course she did not give him an invitation to visit her.