The mystery was soon explained to Fitzormond, respecting the rank of his friends, whom he had left plain Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell: an uncle of Mr. Maxwell having died, and shortly after his only son, so that that gentleman succeeded to the title and estate, and also took the family name. Some family dispute having prevented any degree of intimacy, between the uncle and nephew, Fitzormond had never heard of the relationship.

When the Countess found Fitzormond able to bear the subject, she mentioned/ to him having heard from the late Earl of Belhaven, that Lady Louisa had died in child-bed, and that the infant had died also; which information had checked the inclination she had felt to inquire particularly who were the parents of Louisa, when she first met her. She wondered why the Earl had said so; as she now understood he was informed of the circumstance by Fitzormond himself.

But the fact was, the father of Lady Louisa had resolutely persevered in his resentment to his daughter, and committed every letter, in which he imagined her name was mentioned, to the flames. Fitzormond's letter shared the same fate, without being honoured with a perusal. His knowledge of her death was obtained from a newspaper, in which that event was erroneously stated to have been preceded by the death of her infant. The brother of Lady Louisa had believed the/ same account: and had expressed his satisfaction that the connection between the two families was now effectually dissolved. The death of the Earl, and the departure of her brother, as resident ambassador to a foreign Court, within a year after, had prevented Mr. Howard ever making application to him in behalf of Louisa.

Fitzormond did not trouble himself to form any conjectures on the Earl's reason for saying this; but supposed he wished by it to cancel all inquiries after the child of a man whom he had unreasonably disliked.