Luckily for them, the colonel and Lancelot were following close behind, and came to their assistance.
The colonel, as usual, solved the problem.
'Your dog-cart will carry four, Smith ?' 'It will.' 'Then let the ladies get in, and Mr.Lavington drive them home.' 'What ?' said the squire, 'with both my hands red-hot with the gout?
You must drive three of us, colonel, and one of us must walk.' 'I will walk,' said Argemone, in her determined way.
Mrs.Lavington began something about propriety, but was stopped with another pound's worth of oaths by the squire, who, however, had tolerably recovered his good humour, and hurried Mrs.Lavington and Honoria, laughingly, into the dog-cart, saying-- 'Argemone's safe enough with Smith; the servants will lead the horses behind them.

It's only three miles home, and I should like to see any one speak to her twice while Smith's fists are in the way.' Lancelot thought so too.
'You can trust yourself to me, Miss Lavington ?' 'By all means.

I shall enjoy the walk after--:' and she stopped.

In a moment the dog-cart had rattled off, with a parting curse from the squire to the servants, who were unharnessing the horses.
Argemone took Lancelot's arm; the soft touch thrilled through and through him; and Argemone felt, she knew not why, a new sensation run through her frame.

She shuddered--not with pain.
'You are cold, Miss Lavington ?' 'Oh, not in the least.' Cold! when every vein was boiling so strangely! A soft luscious melancholy crept over her.