The Lover Fugitives A Romance Author:John Finnemore General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1902 Original Publisher: C. Arthur Pearson Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you c... more »an select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAPTER II A EIVAL IN THE FIELD The next day I took another horse -- for Roan Robin had earned a holiday -- and rode over to Great Barrow, where Cicely and her mother lived alone, her father having been dead many years. The old butler showed me into a morning-room, where I found Mistress Plu- mer, the elder lady, seated by herself. Here, at any rate, was no change. " My dear George!" she cried, and came slowly across the room to meet me, for she was an invalid. We sat down and conversed for a while, and my uneasy heart began to beat a little more freely. I glanced round, and she smiled. "You wonder not to see Cicely?" she said. "She has gone to spend the day at Rushmere. It is an old engagement. I should hare gone too had I felt equal to it. Sir Humphrey Lester himself rode over for her this morning." " Yes," I replied; " Cicely was always a great favourite of his." "And you too, George," cried Mistress Plumer. " Why should you not ride on and join the party ? They will be delighted to see you." " I have received no invitation," I said. " Invitation!" cried Mistress Plumer. " Wliatever has come over you, George? The idea of your needing an invitation to ride up to Rushmere! And then no one had any idea of your dropping from the clouds in this fashion, so how could they send you an invitation ? Go at once." It was not difficult to allow myself to be persuaded, and I climbed into the saddle once more, and went at a gallop over open grassy country for Rushmere Hall. It was an hour's ride, and I cantered up the avenue and came out near the bowling-green to s...« less