allust's House, and encouraged by the
loyalty of the crowd, most of whom made way for her and touched their
hats, hit the bay horse smartly with her whip and rode him, with a
clatter of hoofs and scattering of clods, right at the snuff-colored
enemy, who had to spring hastily aside to avoid her. There was a roar
of laughter from the roadway, and the man turned sharply on her. But he
suddenly smiled affably, replaced his hands in his pockets after raising
his hat, and said:

"How do you do, Miss Carpenter? I thought you were a charge of cavalry."

"I am not Miss Carpenter, I am Lady Brandon; and you ought to be
ashamed of yourself, Mr. Smilash, if it is you that have brought these
disgraceful people here."

His eyes as he replied were eloquent with reproach to her for being
no longer Miss Carpenter. "I am not Smilash," he said; "I am Sidney
Trefusis. I have just had the pleasure of meeting Sir Charles for
the first time, and we shall be the best friends possible when I have
convinced him that it is hardly fair to seize on a path belonging to
the people and compel them to walk a mile and a half round his estate
instead of four hundred yards between two portions of it."

"I have already told you, sir," said Sir Charles, "that I intend to open
a still shorter path, and to allow all the well-conducted work-people to
pass through twice a day. This will enable them to go to their work
and return from it; and I will be at the cost of keeping the path in
repair."

"Thank you," said Trefusis drily; "but why should we trouble you when
we have a path of our own to use fifty times a day if we choose,
without any man barring our way until our conduct happens to please him?
Besides, your next heir would probably shut the path up the moment he
came into possession."

"Offering them a path is just what makes them impudent," said Lady
Brandon to her husband. "Why did you promise them anything? They would
not think it a hardship to walk a mile and a half, or twenty miles, to
a public-house, but when they go to their work they think it dreadful
to have to walk a yard. Perhaps they would like us to lend them the
wagonette to drive in?"

"I have no doubt they would," said Trefusis, beaming at her.

"Pray leave me to manage here, Jane; this is no place for you. Bring
Erskine to the house. He must be--"

"Why don't the police make them go away?" said Lady Brandon, too excited
to listen to her husband.

"Hush, Jane, pray. What can