"
Irritated at the malice of Miss Dundas, and despising the vulgar
illiberality of Shafto, without deigning a reply, Pembroke abruptly
left the room, and hastening out of the house, ran, rather than
walked, in hopes of overtaking the countess before she reached
Harrowby.
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE VALE OF GRANTHAM.--BELVOIR.
Pembroke crossed the little wooden bridge which lies over the Witham;
he scoured the field; he leaped every stile and gate in his way, and
at last gained the enclosure that leads to the top of the hill, where
he descried a light moving, and very rightly conjectured it must be
the lantern carried by the countess's attendant. Another spring over
the shattered fence cleared all obstacles, and he found himself close
to Lady Tinemouth, who was leaning on the arm of a gentleman.
Pembroke stopped at this sight. Supposing she had been met by some
person belonging to the neighborhood, whose readier gallantry now
occupied the place which Miss Dundas had prevented him from filling,
he was preparing to retreat, when Lady Tinemouth happening to turn
her head, imagined, from the hesitating embarrassment of his manner,
that he was a stranger, who had lost his way, and accosted him with
that inquiry.
Pembroke bowed in some confusion, and related the simple fact of his
having heard that she had quitted Lady Shafto's house without any
guard but the servant, and that the moment he learned the
circumstance he had hurried out to proffer his services.
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