As for being actually lost it seemed too absurd.

Life is largely composed of absurdities.
There was one direction which she had not tried, and it lay along a bridle path, but whether north or south or east or west she was utterly unable to determine.

She felt quite certain that Estwich could not lie either way along that bridle-path which stretched almost a straight, dark way under the trees as far as she could see.
Vexed, yet amused, at her own stupid plight, she was standing in the road, trying to make up her mind to try it, when, far down the vista, a horseman appeared, coming on at a leisurely canter; and with a sigh of relief she saw her troubles already at an end.
He drew bridle abreast of her, stared, sprang from his saddle and, cap in hand, came up to her holding out his hand: "Miss West!" he exclaimed.

"How on earth did you ever find your way into my woods ?" "I don't know, Mr.Cardemon," she said, thankful to encounter even him in her dilemma.

"I must have walked a great deal farther than I meant to." "You've walked at least five miles if you came by road; and nobody knows how far if you came across country," he said, staring at her out of his slightly prominent eyes.
"I did come across country.