Peter and Lady Elfrida were advancing towards them.  The scrutiny of a dozen pairs of eyes—­wondering, mischievous, critical, impertinent, or resentful—­would have been a trying ordeal to any errant couple; but there was little if any change in Peter’s grave and gentle demeanor, albeit his dark eyes were shining with a peculiar light, and Lady Elfrida had only the animation, color, and slight excitability that became the responsible leader of the little party.  They neither apologized or alluded to their delay.  They had selected a spot on the other side of the copse, and the baskets could be sent around by the wagon; they had seen a slight haze on the plain towards the east which betokened the vicinity of the rest of the party, and they were about to propose that as the gentlemen were so near they had better postpone the picnic until they came up.  Lady Runnybroke smiled affably; the only thing she had noticed was that Lady Elfrida in joining them had gone directly to the side of the abstracted Jenny, and placed her arm around her waist.  At which Lady Runnybroke airily joined them.

The surmises of Peter and Friddy appeared to be correct.  The transfer of the provisions and the party to the other side was barely concluded before they could see the gentlemen coming; they were riding a little more rapidly than when they had set out, and were arriving fully three hours before their time.  They burst upon the ladies a little boisterously but gayly; they had had a glorious time, but little sport; they had hurried back to join the ladies so as to be able to return with them betimes.  They were ravenously hungry; they wanted to fall to at once.  Only the officers’ wives noticed that the two files of troopers did not dismount, but filed slowly before the entrance to the woods.  Lady Elfrida as hostess was prettily distressed by it, but was told by Captain Joyce that it was “against rules,” and that she could “feed” them at the fort.  The officers’ wives put a few questions in whispers, and were promptly frowned down.  Nevertheless, the luncheon was a successful festivity:  the gentlemen were loud in the praises of their gracious hostess; the delicacies she had provided by express from distant stations, and much that was distinctly English and despoiled from her own stores, were gratefully appreciated by the officers of a remote frontier garrison.  Lady Elfrida’s health was toasted by the gallant colonel in a speech that was the soul of chivalry.  Lord Runnybroke responded, perhaps without the American abandon, but with the steady conscientiousness of an hereditary legislator, but the M. P. summed up a slightly exaggerated but well meaning episode by pointing out that it was on occasions like this that the two nations showed their common ancestry by standing side by side.  Only one thing troubled the rosy, excited, but still clear-headed Friddy; the plates were whisked away like magic after each delicacy, by the military servants,