way in which he caught at the suggestion no thanks i don t care for horses much perhaps it is because i do not understand them in fact i consider it bad form for a lady to know all the points of a horse as if she were a dealer that s one for me i observed in an sure i don t know returned i never did care a great deal for form myself or anything cherry s child else that half a dozen old women constitute as such i am afraid you are a radical she laughed i believe i am he answered frankly then you won t come and look at the horses i think not thank you then i shall see you again at breakfast and he briskly himself away in the direction of the stables poor boy what a take in i whispered gave me a little that i might look at who was bending forward watching the departing with a very unpleasant expression of countenance indeed you young idiot she said aloud at that i could contain myself no longer i buried my face against s broad chest and went off into a violent of laughter he held me close to him so close that i was almost and my laughter changed to equally which i tried my very best to with his handkerchief when i had recovered myself had vanished where is she i asked wiping my streaming eyes gone answered laughing himself now she looked round ever so sharply and muttered rats and then she fairly took to her heels and ran away come let us be out of this it was a fortunate circumstance those two strangers meeting at a festival only they were not strangers nor at a festival henceforth we shall find this by both of them and so we enjoyed a very pleasant half hour until the breakfast bell summoned us back to the house we were the last to appear and it was no easy task to t it il it or another greet and as if we had not seen them before but s example helped me to do it good morning miss de la he said cheerily what a charming morning oh lovely she answered pleasantly i was out � oh ever so early � and gathered myself a you see what you late have missed ah i didn t want to interrupt your pleasant with he said deliberately my a she stammered for once quite taken who told you i had seen mr this morning a little bird whispered it he answered laughing at her dismayed expression and s angry face i gave him a ever such a hard one � to say no more for mrs looked terribly annoyed but he took no notice of it and continued in a tone yes a little bird told me all about it then the little bird must have been a complete fool prince broke in the fact of the matter was this i happened to be passing through the east garden on my way to the stables and miss de la was sitting in the if saying good morning a a well then we had one and pray did the little bird tell you anything else she asked having somewhat recovered her by this time oh yes it told me that you ran away in fear of rats he said coolly and that you got your dress soiled on the dusty floor of the oh she glanced down and so did i for i was next to her at the hem of her dress and saw that in it child several places it was soiled and marked with dust i looked from it to her face but i turned my eyes away immediately for just then she was not pleasant to see presently i heard if he had vexed her did you really see me in the she asked raising her eyes to his face did i not tell you it was a little bird who told it to me he said gravely no but really really he repeated the temptation to laugh was too strong for me and miss de la turned upon me in dignified astonishment did you hear this absurd story too she demanded yes i heard it i answered laughing from prince of course prince did not tell me i returned it is inexplicable she said at last and i wish you would explain it to me i cannot do that answered quietly why because the secret is not my own and i do not feel justified in betraying it i did not add as i might have done that if the secret were my own and only my own i should still be to tell her i should like to know said mrs suddenly and in a tone which implied that she wished our conversation at an end what plans there are for this morning mrs de la and i are going out in the victoria but what do you all intend to do you promised to ride with me said hastily tt or another very w u i answered i am quite willing are you thinking of going � turning to and will you ride he asked her i oh thank you i do not ride then we must have the said mrs unless you and would like to drive somewhere in my cart i am quite at your service said courteously are you murmured miss de la softly and in a slightly incredulous tone then she spoke in her usual voice i should very much like to drive to that pretty at � at � oh i forget the place at put in mrs complacently it is only about five miles then shall we arrange so asked us yes i think so answered his mother i dare say will be over this afternoon and we could have a 