"I wonder whether I'm too late to catch her," speculated Roderick, shifting his bag from one shoulder to the other; "she's no end of fun."
In front of the clearing there was a broad five-barred gate, and beside the gate a keeper's cottage. The flame of a newly-lighted candle flashed out suddenly upon the autumn dusk, while Roderick stood looking at the gate.
"I'll ask at the lodge," he said; "I should like to say good-bye to the little thing before I go back to Oxford."
He walked quickly on to the gate. The keeper's children were playing at nothing particular just inside it.
"Has Miss Tempest gone for her ride this afternoon?" he asked.
"Ya-ase," drawled the eldest shock-headed youngster.
"Noa. If she doant take care her'll be bogged."
Roderick hitched his bag on to the top of the gate, and stood at ease waiting. It was late for the little lady of Tempest Manor to be out on her pony; but then it was an understood thing within a radius of ten miles or so that she was a self-willed young person, and even at fifteen years of age she had a knack of following her own inclination with that noble disregard of consequences which characterises the heaven-born ruler.
Mr. Vawdrey had not waited more than ten minutes when there came the thud of hoofs upon the soft track, a flash of gray in the distance, something flying over those forky branches sprawling across the way, then a half-sweet, half-shrill call, like a bird's, at which the keeper's children scattered themselves like a brood of scared chickens, and now a rush, and a gray pony shooting suddenly into the air and coming down on the other side of the gate, as if he were a new kind of skyrocket.
"What do you think of that, Rorie?" cried the shrill sweet voice of the gray pony's rider!
"I'm ashamed of you, Vixen," said Roderick, "you'll come to a bad end some of these days."
"I don't care if I do, as long as I get my fling first," replied Vixen, tossing her tawny mane.
She was a slim young thing, in a short Lincoln-green habit. She had a small pale face, brown eyes that sparkled with life and mischief, and a rippling mass of reddish-auburn hair falling down her back under a coquettish little felt hat.
"Hasn't your mamma forbidden jumping, Vixen?" remonstrated Roderick, opening the gate and coming in.