“Lady,” said he, “I couldn’t do that.  If you dunno mind walking home, and will pay me for the two hours all the same, I will be right thankful for that.  I’m poorly to-day.”

“Get into the chair,” said I, “and I’ll pull you back.  I’d like to do it, for I want some exercise.”

“Oh, no, no!” said he.  “That would be a sin; and besides I was engaged to pull you two hours, and I must be paid for that.”

“Get into that chair,” I said, “and I’ll pay you for your two hours and give you a shilling besides.”

He looked at me for a minute, and then he got into the chair, and I shut him up.

“Now, lady,” said he, “you can pull me a little way if you want exercise, and as soon as you are tired you can stop, and I’ll get out, but you must pay me the extra shilling all the same.”

“All right,” said I, and taking hold of the handle I started off.  It was real fun; the bath-chair rolled along beautifully, and I don’t believe the old man weighed much more than my Corinne when I used to push her about in her baby carriage.  We were in a back street, where there was hardly anybody; and as for Jone and his bath-chair, I could just see them ever so far ahead, so I started to catch up, and as the street was pretty level now I soon got going at a fine rate.  I hadn’t had a bit of good exercise for a long time, and this warmed me up and made me feel gay.

[Illustration:  “STOP, LADY, AND I’LL GET OUT”]

We was not very far behind Jone when the man began to call to me in a sort of frightened fashion, as if he thought I was running away.  “Stop, lady!” he said; “we are getting near the gardens, and the people will laugh at me.  Stop, lady, and I’ll get out.”  But I didn’t feel a bit like stopping; the idea had come into my head that it would be jolly to beat Jone.  If I could pass him and sail on ahead for a little while, then I’d stop and let my old man get out and take his bath-chair home.  I didn’t want it any more.

Just as I got close up behind Jone, and was about to make a rush past him, his man turned into a side street.  Of course I turned too, and then I put on steam, and, giving a laugh as I turned around to look at Jone, I charged on, intending to stop in a minute and have some fun in hearing what Jone had to say about it; but you may believe, ma’am, that I was amazed when I saw only a little way in front of me the bath-chair stand where we had hired our machines!  And all the bath-chair men were standing there with their mouths wide open, staring at a woman running along the street, pulling an old bath-chair man in a bath-chair!  For a second I felt like dropping the handle I held and making a rush for the front door of the hotel, which was right ahead of me; and then I thought, as now I was in for it, it would be a lot better to put a good face on the matter, and not look as if I had done anything I was ashamed of, and so I just slackened speed and came up in fine style at the door of the Old Hall.  Four or five of the bath-chair men came running across the street to know if anything had happened to the old party I was pulling, and he got out looking as ashamed as if he had been whipped by his wife.