homs deep; Geoffrey and Mr
Carr droned bass, and Stanor Vaughan took tenor, rather out of tune it's
true, but no man with that profile could be expected to condescend to
_bass_! We sang `Come and _see_ the daylight dawning, on the meadow far
away,' and Mr Carr said he must really make a point of going some day,
and we've planned an early walk for next week, if any one can wake up in
time. We roared `All among the barley,' until the primroses looked
quite abashed, and turned into `Good-night, good-night beloved,' to
soothe them down again, and we grew so intimate and festive, and they
all said, `What next, Miss O'Shaughnessy, what next?' Really, my dear,
I was a _succes fou_.

"But more is yet to come. It was so lovely and we were enjoying
ourselves so much, that we dallied about, and took extra little detours,
so that it was nearly two o'clock when we arrived at the appointed spot,
and imagine, my dear, our thwarted hunger and thirst, when not a vestige
of a car could we behold! It was no use _waiting_, because if all had
gone right it should have been waiting for us for an hour at least. So
we held a council of war at the side of the road.

"_Esmeralda_. `I shall give Dawson notice _At Once_! He has made
some stupid mistake, and gone to the wrong place. I've no patience
with blunderers.' (She hasn't.)

"_Geoffrey_. `Something may have gone wrong with the car. Don't
blame the poor fellow till you are sure he deserves it.'

"_Stanor_. `I don't care one rap about Dawson. I want my lunch!
_With_ the luxuries! What price expectation _now_, Miss
O'Shaughnessy?'

"_Honor_. `I'm sorry to be disagreeable, but I've a blister on my
heel. If it's a case of walking back, I must bid you all a fond adieu
and take to a forest life.'

"_Robert Carr_. `What can you expect if you start out on a country
walk in ball-room slippers?'

"Honor said: `They aren't, and, anyway, I don't expect sympathy from
_you_,' and _I_ said: `Isn't there an opening into the road a little
nearer the village where the car may be waiting all the time?'

"`Mrs Dick,' quoted Geoffrey,--`your common sense is invaluable!' and
off he started in advance while we all trailed in the rear, along the
dusty high-road this time, and not by any means in a singing mood.
Esmeralda stalked, and Honor limped. She hadn't done it a bit before,
so it came on rather suddenly, and Stanor offered her his arm, and she
hung upon it