elieved, 'Spooner Villas,'
she turned down a row of small detached houses facing a brickfield, that
had just contributed to the erection of them, and threatened the big city
with further defacements.

Madge pointed to the marks of her jump, deep in flower-bed earth under an
open window.

Gower measured the height with sensational shanks.

She smote at the door. Carinthia nodded from her window. Close upon that,
Kit Ines came bounding to the parlour window; he spied and stared. Gower
was known to him as the earl's paymaster; so he went to the passage and
flung the door open, blocking the way.

'Any commands, your honour?'

'You bring the countess to my lord immediately,' said Gower.

Kit swallowed his mouthful of surprise in a second look at Madge and the
ploughed garden-bed beneath the chamber window.

'Are the orders written, sir?'

'To me?--for me to deliver to you?--for you to do my lord's bidding?
Where's your head?'

Kit's finger-nails travelled up to it. Madge pushed past him. She and her
mistress, and Kit's mate, and the old woman receiving the word for a cup
of tea, were soon in the passage. Kit's mate had a ready obedience for
his pay, nothing else,--no counsel at all, not a suggestion to a head
knocked to a pudding by Madge's jump and my lord's paymaster here upon
the scene.

'My lady was to go down Wales way, sir.'

'That may be ordered after.'

'I 'm to take my lady to my lord?' and, 'Does it mean my lady wants a
fly?' Kit asked, and harked back on whether Madge had seen my lord.

'At five in the morning?--don't sham donkey with me,' said Gower.

The business looked inclined to be leaky, but which the way for proving
himself other than a donkey puzzled Kit: so much so, that a shove made
him partly grateful. Madge's clever countermove had stunned his
judgement. He was besides acting subordinate to his patron's paymaster;
and by the luck of it, no voice of woman interposed. The countess and her
maid stood by like a disinterested couple. Why be suspicious, if he was
to keep the countess, in sight? She was a nice lady, and he preferred her
good opinion. She was brave, and he did her homage. It might be, my lord
had got himself round to the idea of thanking her for saving his nob that
night, and his way was to send and have her up, to tell her he forgave
her, after the style of lords. Gower pricked into him by saying aside:
'Mad, I suppose, in case of a noise?' And he could not answer quite
manf