The next week her head steadied a little--everything was delightful, but it was London, and not fairyland; it could not be denied that the rooms were hot, and that one came down rather tired in the morning.

Mrs.Churchill, however, had a remedy for that.

She had a pretty pair of ponies which carried her well out of London almost every morning, into fresh air and green lanes, and she took Mary with her.
After breakfast they used to start, and make their expedition long or short, according to the day's engagements.
One morning they had completely escaped from town, and were driving along a pleasant road, shady and quiet, where, in those days, no suburban villas had sprung up, but where a park paling was overhung by trees on one side, and on the other, fields stretched away upon a gentle slope.

They had lately met but few people, and Helen, never a very careful driver, had been letting her ponies do pretty much what they liked.

At last the lively little animals, perhaps out of pure wilfulness, chose to take fright at something by the roadside; they made a sudden rush, and their mistress all at once found herself quite unable to hold them.