AN ELOPEMENT. 215 



and my father had not seen in the confusion whither the 

 lady had fled ; but on hearing her whereabouts he went to 

 her, found her in hysterics, and unable to be moved. Her 

 father soon calmed her ; meanwhile the gentleman who 

 had been so suddenly assailed had at last struggled on to 

 his feet, and was engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter 

 with his opponent, but was soon separated. The young 

 lady was taken possession of by her father, and returned 

 with him and the younger man who had ridden up 

 in pursuit. The poor young fellow who had eloped with 

 the girl, most disconsolate at her loss, stayed at the 

 house that night, and told my father his story. It ap- 

 peared that the young lady was engaged to a gentleman 

 she did not care for ; and after he had met her at a ball 

 and at other places at Cheltenham, she became attached 

 to him, and at last agreed to elope with him. A chaise 

 and four was ordered, and before her parents were moving 

 in the morning she left the house with only a hand- 

 bag. Her lover met her, and they went first to Oxford, 

 intending either to get to London or to the North Road 

 and so on to Gretna Green. To elude pursuit they took 

 post-horses to Thame, instead of keeping on the high- 

 road, and then came on to Aylesbury. Whilst on the 

 turnpike road, they saw a man at the corner of a bye- 

 road breaking stones, and asked him the route. The father 

 and the lady's brother following, singularly enough had 

 pulled up and asked the same man if he had seen a chaise 

 and four pass that way. He told them that about half 

 an hour before one had turned off towards Bicester. ]\Iy 

 father, who felt much interested in the romantic affair, 

 heard some time afterwards that a hostile meeting had 



