'Are you a gardener? Some day we will go to work, clear the place,
and separate the botanical from the intrusive!'

'I should like it, of all things!'

'I'll send the horse round to the stable, and begin at once!'
exclaimed Louis, all eagerness; but Mary demurred, as she had
promised to read to her mother and aunt some of their old favourites,
Madame de Sevigne's letters, and his attention flew off to his
restless steed, which he wanted her to admire.

'My Yeomanry charger,' he said. 'We turn out five troopers. I hope
you will be here when we go out, for going round to Northwold brought
me into a direful scrape when I went to exhibit myself to the dear
old Terrace world. My father said it was an unworthy ambition. What
would he have thought, if he had seen Jane stroking me down with the
brush on the plea of dust, but really on the principle of stroking a
dog! Good old Jane! Have you seen her yet? Has she talked to you
about Master Oliver?'

The horse became so impatient, that Mary had no time for more than a
monosyllable, before Louis was obliged to mount and ride off; and he
was seen no more till just before dinner, when, with a shade of
French malice, Mrs. Frost inquired about Jane and the carpenter: she
had seen the cap, still decorated with groundsel, lying in the hall,
and had a shrewd suspicion, but the answer went beyond her
expectations--'Ah!' he said, 'it is all the effect of the Norman
mania!'

'What have you been doing? What is the matter?' she cried, alarmed.