ne down a few degrees below fever
heat. Lord George had again coached her; but there had been no great
need for coaching, no losing of her breath, no cutting down of
Lucinda, no river, no big wall,--nothing, in short, very fast. They
had been much in a big wood; but Lizzie, in giving an account of the
day to her cousin, had acknowledged that she had not quite understood
what they were doing at any time. "It was a blowing of horns and
a galloping up and down all the day," she said; "and then Morgan
got cross again and scolded all the people. But there was one nice
paling, and Dandy flew over it beautifully. Two men tumbled down, and
one of them was a good deal hurt. It was very jolly;--but not at all
like Wednesday."

Nor had it been like Wednesday to Lucinda Roanoke, who did not fall
into the water, and who did accept Sir Griffin when he again proposed
to her in Sarkie wood. A great deal had been said to Lucinda on the
Thursday and the Friday by Mrs. Carbuncle,--which had not been taken
at all in good part by Lucinda. On those days Lucinda kept as much as
she could out of Sir Griffin's way, and almost snapped at the baronet
when he spoke to her. Sir Griffin swore to himself that he wasn't
going to be treated that way. He'd have her, by George! There are
men in whose love a good deal of hatred is mixed;--who love as the
huntsman loves the fox, towards the killing of which he intends to
use all his energies and intellects. Mrs. Carbuncle, who did not
quite understand the sort of persistency by which a Sir Griffin can
be possessed, feared greatly that Lucinda was about to lose her
prize, and spoke out accordingly. "Will you, then, just have the
kindness to tell me what it is you propose to yourself?" asked Mrs.
Carbuncle.

"I don't propose anything."

"And where will you go when your money's done?"

"Just where I am going now!" said Lucinda. By which it may be feared
that she indicated a place to which she should not on such an
occasion have made an allusion.

"You don't like anybody else?" suggested Mrs. Carbuncle.

"I don't like anybody or anything," said Lucinda.

"Yes, you do;--you like horses to ride, and dresses to wear."

"No, I don't. I like hunting because, perhaps, some day I may break
my neck. It's no use your looking like that, Aunt Jane. I know what
it all means. If I could break my neck it would be the best thing for
me."

"You'll break my heart, Lucinda."

"Mine's broken long ago."

"If you'l