her, till I told her all danger was over."

"Very grand, all that sort of thing," returned Freddy; "but for my own
part I should like to see a little more feeling. I've no taste for your
'marble maidens'; they always put me in mind of Lot's wife."

"Eh! Mrs. Lot?" interrupted Lawless, coming up to us: "why was she like
me? do you give it up? Because she got into a pretty pickle--there's
a riddle for you. I say, I made a nice mess of it just now, didn't I?
that's what comes of going to these confounded balls. The fact was,"
he continued, sinking his voice, "the filly bolted with me; she took
uncommon kindly to the champagne at supper; in consequence, she was
so fresh when we started that I couldn't hold her; she kept pushing on
faster and faster, till at last she was fairly off with me; we did very
well as long as we stuck to the open country, but at last we contrived
to get among some very awkward fences; the first stiff bit of timber
we came to she made a rush at, and down we came, gate--I mean table,
candlestick, and all, a regular smash; and to make matters worse, one of
the candles set the other young woman's petticoat alight."

"In fact, after a very severe run, you were nearly being in at the
death," suggested Coleman.

~127~~"By Jove, it was nothing to laugh at, though!" remarked Lawless;
"she'd have been regularly cooked, if Prank Fairlegh hadn't put her
out when he did, and I should have been tried for 'Unjustifiable
Girl-icide,' or 'Maliciously setting fire to a marriageable female,' or
some such thing; and I daresay the young woman wasn't insured anywhere:
I should have got into a pretty mess; it would have been a worse job
than breaking Shrimp."

"Frederick, look here!" cried Lucy Markham, who was passing the place
where we stood; "see how Mr. Fairlegh's sleeve is scorched; surely," she
continued, turning to me, "your arm must be injured."

"It begins to feel rather painful," replied I; "but I daresay it's
nothing to signify."

"Come to my room," exclaimed Freddy anxiously; "why did you not mention
it before?"

"Really I scarcely felt it in the excitement of the moment," returned I;
"it can't be of any consequence."

On removing the coat-sleeve, however, a somewhat considerable burn was
apparent, extending about half way from the wrist to the elbow, and
which, the moment it was exposed to the air, became excessively painful.

Fortunately, among the guests who had not yet taken their departure was