‘You are most kind,’ said the Countess.

‘Andrew and his wife I should not dare to separate for more than a week,’ said Lady Jocelyn.  ’He is the great British husband.  The proprietor!  “My wife” is his unanswerable excuse.’

‘Yes,’ Andrew replied cheerily.  ’I don’t like division between man and wife, I must say.’

The Countess dared no longer instance the Count, her husband.  She was heard to murmur that citizen feelings were not hers: 

‘You suggested Fallow field to Melville, did you not?’ asked Lady Jocelyn.

‘It was the merest suggestion,’ said the Countess, smiling.

‘Then you must really stay to see us through it,’ said her ladyship.  ’Where are they now?  They must be making straight for break-neck fence.  They’ll have him there.  George hasn’t pluck for that.’

‘Hasn’t what?’

It was the Countess who requested to know the name of this other piece of Providence Mr. George Uplift was deficient in.

‘Pluck-go,’ said her ladyship hastily, and telling the coachman to drive to a certain spot, trotted on with Andrew, saying to him:  ’I’m afraid we are thought vulgar by the Countess.’

Andrew considered it best to reassure her gravely.

‘The young man, her brother, is well-bred,’ said Lady Jocelyn, and Andrew was very ready to praise Evan.

Lady Jocelyn, herself in slimmer days a spirited horsewoman, had correctly estimated Mr. George’s pluck.  He was captured by Harry and Evan close on the leap, in the act of shaking his head at it; and many who inspected the leap would have deemed it a sign that wisdom weighted the head that would shake long at it; for it consisted of a post and rails, with a double ditch.

Seymour Jocelyn, Mrs. Evremonde, Drummond, Jenny Graine, and William Harvey, rode with Mr. George in quest of the carriage, and the captive was duly delivered over.

‘But where’s the brush?’ said Lady Jocelyn, laughing, and introducing him to the Countess, who dropped her head, and with it her veil.

‘Oh! they leave that on for my next run,’ said Mr. George, bowing civilly.

‘You are going to run again?’

Miss Carrington severely asked this question; and Mr. George protested.

‘Secure him, Louisa,’ said Lady Jocelyn.  ’See here:  what’s the matter with poor Dorothy?’

Dorothy came slowly trotting up to them along the green lane, and thus expressed her grief, between sobs: 

’Isn’t it a shame?  Rose is such a tyrant.  They’re going to ride a race and a jump down in the field, and it’s break-neck leap, and Rose won’t allow me to stop and see it, though she knows I’m just as fond of Evan as she is; and if he’s killed I declare it will be her fault; and it’s all for her stupid, dirty old pocket handkerchief!’

‘Break-neck fence!’ said Lady Jocelyn; ‘that’s rather mad.’

‘Do let’s go and see it, darling Aunty Joey,’ pleaded the little maid.  Lady Jocelyn rode on, saying to herself:  ’That girl has a great deal of devil in her.’  The lady’s thoughts were of Rose.