attering up to our door to call for me. Mrs. Hambledon
was already installed and Lady Soames and a dozen other of the
_fashionables_ of Bath. My little Lord Marquis had kept the box seat
for me, at which the other ladies, even my dear friend and chaperon,
looked rather green. The weather was glorious, and off we went with a
flourish of trumpets and whips, and I knew I should enjoy myself
monstrously.

And so I did. But it was the drive back that was the _best_ of all. We
never started till near nine o'clock, and Lord Dereham insisted on my
sitting beside him again--at which all the ladies looked daggers _at
me_ and all the gentlemen daggers _at him_. And then we sang songs and
tore along uphill and down dale, under the beautiful moonlight,
through the still air, till all at once we found we had lost our way.
We had to drive on till we came to an inn and we could make inquiries.
There the gentlemen opened another hamper of wine, and when we set
off again I promise you they were all pretty _lively_ (and most of
the ladies too, for the matter of that). As for me, who never drank
anything but milk or water till six months ago, I have not learnt to
like wine yet, so, though I sipped out of the glass to keep the fun
going, I contrived to dispose of the contents, quietly over the side
of the coach, when no one was looking.

It was a drive to remember. We came to a big hill, and as we were
going down it at a smart pace the coach began to sway, then the ladies
began to screech, and even the men looked so scared that I laughed
outright. Lord Dereham was perfectly tipsy and he did not know the
road a bit, but he drove in beautiful style and was extraordinarily
amusing; as soon as the coach took to swaying, instead of slackening
speed as they all begged him, he _lashed_ the horses into a tearing
gallop, looking over his shoulder at the rest and cursing them with
the greatest energy, grinning with rage, and looking more like a
little white rat than _ever_.

"Give me the whip," said I, "and I shall whip the team while you
drive."

"_Cuth me_," cried he, "if you are not worth the whole coach-load a
dozen times over."

On we went; the coach rocked, the horses galloped, and I knew at any
moment the whole thing might upset, and I flourished my whip and
lashed at the steaming flanks and I never felt what it was to really
enjoy myself before.

Presently, although we were tearing along so fast, the coach steadied
itself and went as