t Rosa had been taken for me, and I
could not help thinking that the two men she had fallen in
with, were those I had seen at Salisbury. Henry's agitation
and his sudden disappearance confirmed my suspicions, and I
felt the more tormented from having no one near me, to whom I
could impart them. When we went into the dining-room to
luncheon, Mrs. Brandon looked flushed and worried; she told
Rosa that Henry had gone towards the East common, to see if
the men who had frightened her, and used his name for that
purpose, were lurking in that direction; that Mr. Brandon had
sent the gamekeeper and some of his men to make inquiries in
the neighbourhood about these fellows, and directed that they
should be brought up for examination before him as a
magistrate, if they could be found. Rosa proposed to me to
ride with her and all the men of the party, that afternoon,
and scour the park, the neighbouring woods and downs, in
search of the men. Curiosity, and an intense desire to
ascertain if I was right in my suppositions, made me agree to
this plan. We were soon off, and galloping across the park.
Rosa was in tearing spirits; she had been somewhat alarmed in
the morning, but the idea of a _quiproquo_, the amusement of a
practical riddle, the fun of pursuing her assailant, (whose
offence had not been of a nature which would make its results
to him so serious as to check any levity on the subject)
tickled her fancy exceedingly, and she kept her companions in
a continual, roar of laughter. We rode about in different
directions for nearly two hours, but, except a few labourers,
we met no one. As we were walking our horses through a dell,
that divided the upper part of East common from a wood of
beautiful oaks, that stretched for miles beyond it, Mr. Manby
suddenly exclaimed, "There are two men scrambling over a hedge
in the direction of Ash Grove. Now, Miss Moore, for a
desperate effort." We all looked in the direction where he
pointed with his whip, and all set off at once at full speed.
There was a small ditch between the field we were in, and the
one we were making for; all the horses took it at a flying
leap, except mine, who positively refused to budge. In vain I
struck him and urged him on; he began rearing violently, but
would neither jump nor walk over it; the groom begged me to
get off, while he dragged it across; I did so, and walked on a
little to try and find a place where I could step over the
ditch myself. I stopped a