For some time subsequent to the ball but little change occurred in the posture of affairs at Sir Everard's. Sedley persevered in his visits, and Lady Ormond persevered in her frigid manner of receiving him. By degrees, however, this treatment began to make a more painful impression upon him; for he perceived that Ella relaxed considerably in her endeavours to compensate to him, as heretofore, for her aunt's ungraciousness. The truth is, seeing her sister, Mr. Fitzmaurice, and the Baronet always well disposed to be courteous to him, she felt that he was no longer dependent upon her for support, and left him to their care, giving herself / no greater trouble about him than about any other occasional visitor who came to the house.

Ernest was less remiss, and continued to show him all his usual friendliness and attention: nor in so doing was there, it must be owned, any extraordinary merit. He could not but be perfectly aware that Sedley's chance of succeeding was every day becoming less; – and they are few who cannot soar to such a pitch of virtue as to treat with kindness a rival they do not fear. But the kindness of Ernest was not enough; it could, indeed, do little towards alleviating the hourly increasing distrust and anxiety which preyed upon Sedley's mind. His countenance lost entirely its customary expression, and became as absent and thoughtful as it had hitherto been careless and contented. Ella saw it, and saw it with concern; but she justly reflected, that any effort on her part to dispel his dejection, would be but giving a temporary renewal and encouragement to his hopes, in order again to crush them. Whilst she regarded him only as one of her mother's objects of speculation – as a bon parti she was to try and secure – yet observed not anything serious in his own views, she flattered herself there subsisted between / them a sort of tacit understanding, that permitted their manifesting the utmost friendliness towards each other, without being participators in Mrs. Ormond's designs.