"I am,--I am, I am--so sorry," he struggled to say,--and then as she
held his horse for him he struggled up into the saddle.

"Keep down this furrow," said Mrs. Spooner, "and we shall be with
them in the second field. There's nobody near them yet."

CHAPTER LXIII

"I've Seen 'Em Like That Before"

On this occasion Silverbridge stayed only a few days at Harrington,
having promised Tregear to entertain him at The Baldfaced Stag. It
was here that his horses were standing, and he now intended, by
limiting himself to one horse a day, to mount his friend for a
couple of weeks. It was settled at last that Tregear should ride his
friend's horse one day, hire the next, and so on. "I wonder what
you'll think of Mrs. Spooner?" he said.

"Why should I think anything of her?"

"Because I doubt whether you ever saw such a woman before. She does
nothing but hunt."

"Then I certainly shan't want to see her again."

"And she talks as I never heard a lady talk before."

"Then I don't care if I never see her at all."

"But she is the most plucky and most good-natured human being I ever
saw in my life. After all, hunting is very good fun."

"Very; if you don't do it so often as to be sick of it."

"Long as I have known you I don't think I ever saw you ride yet."

"We used to have hunting down in Cornwall, and thought we did it
pretty well. And I have ridden in South Wales, which I can assure you
isn't an easy thing to do. But you mustn't expect much from me."

They were both out the Monday and Tuesday in that week, and then
again on the Thursday without anything special in the way of sport.
Lord Chiltern, who had found Silverbridge to be a young man after
his own heart, was anxious that he should come back to Harrington
and bring Tregear with him. But to this Tregear would not assent,
alleging that he should feel himself to be a burden both to Lord and
Lady Chiltern. On the Friday Tregear did not go out, saying that he
would avoid the expense, and on that day there was a good run. "It is
always the way," said Silverbridge. "If you miss a day, it is sure to
be the best thing of the season. An hour and a quarter with hardly
anything you could call a check! It is the only very good thing I
have seen since I have been here. Mrs. Spooner was with them all
through."

"And I suppose you were with Mrs. Spooner."

"I wasn't far off. I wish you had been there."

On the next day the meet was at the kennels, close to Ha