the
Broncholine.

"I thank you very much," said Mr. Carteret humbly. "I'll go to my room
and try it at once."

"That's a good chap!" said Lord Frederic, "perhaps you will feel so much
better that you can join us.

"Perhaps," said Mr. Carteret gloomily, "or it may work as it did on the
pony." And he left the room.

After Hodgson had departed from his chamber leaving explicit directions
as to how and how not to use the excellent Broncholine, Mr. Carteret
poured a quantity of it from the bottle and threw it out of the window
resolving to be on the safe side. Then he looked at his boots and his
pink coat and white leathers which were laid out upon a chair. "I don't
think there can be any danger," he thought, "if I turn up after they
have started. I loathe stopping in all day." He dressed leisurely,
ordered his horse, and some time after the rest of the household had
sallied forth, he followed. As he knew the country and the coverts which
Lord Ploversdale would draw, he counted on joining the tail of the hunt,
thus keeping out of sight. He inquired of a rustic if he had seen hounds
pass and receiving "no," for an answer he jogged on at a faster trot,
fearing that the hounds might have gone away in some other direction. As
he came around a bend in the road, he saw four women riding toward him,
and as they drew near, he saw that it was Lady Violet Weatherbone and
her three daughters. These young ladies were known as the Three
Guardsmen, a sobriquet not wholly inappropriate; for, as Lord Frederic
described them, they were "uncommon big boned, upstanding fillies,"
between twenty-five and thirty and very hard goers across any country,
and always together.

"Good morning," said Mr. Carteret, bowing. "I suppose the hounds are
close by?" It was a natural assumption, as Lady Violet on hunting days
was never very far from the hounds.

"I do not know," she responded, and her tone further implied that she
did not care.

Mr. Carteret hesitated a moment. "Has anything happened?" he asked.

"Yes," said Lady Violet frankly, "something has happened." Here the
daughters modestly turned their horses away.

"Some one," continued Lady Violet, "brought savages to the meet." She
paused impressively.

"Not really!" said Mr. Carteret with hypocritical surprise.

"Yes," said Lady Violet, "and while it would have mattered little to me,
it was impossible--" She motioned with her head toward the three
maidens, and paused.

"Forgive me,"