I passed boldly by--doubled back stealthily on my own steps--looked round cautiously--opened the door, and glided in.
It was a delightfully comfortable little vehicle--cushioned, soft, yielding, and pervaded by a delicate perfume of eglantine.

Wondering who the owner might be--if she was young--if she was pretty--if she was married, or single, or a widow--I settled myself in the darkest corner of the carriage, intending only to remain there till the rain had abated.

Thus I fell, as fate would have it--first into a profound reverie, and then into a still profounder sleep.

How long this sleep may have lasted I know not.

I only remember becoming slowly conscious of a gentle movement, which, without awaking, partly roused me; of a check to that movement, which brought my thoughts suddenly to the surface; of a stream of light--of an open door--a crowded hall--a lady waiting to come out, and a little crowd of attentive beaux surrounding her! I comprehended my position in an instant, and the impossibility of extricating myself from it.