The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900 ... - Gredos

The Salamanca Corpus: Yeoman Fleetwood (1900)
"It is possible that Lady Sukey goes so fast in other directions that she is obliged to
slacken the pace somewhere," chimed in the elaborately dressed man who was holding
Rachel's fan. "But come, Brummel, you are surely jesting. No two-legged beast,
however well he may be trained, can get over the ground as quickly as a four-legged
one. Come, I’ll bet you a pony that your own fellows do not convey your chair to Lady
Susan Harding's house before her vehicle reaches it.”
"Done!" cried Brummel; "I will send for my chair immediately. There is Lady Susan
descending the stairs now. She is too keen a lover of sport to be unwilling to wait a
moment or two until we can put the matter to the test. I had meant to walk home to the
Pavilion by the west entrance with Big Ben, but I fancy Benina sups with him to-night
She looks glum, and I have no mind to be one of the party."
At this moment the good-looking, much-bedizened woman, who had been pointed out
to Simon as Lady Susan Harding, made her appearance, and the little party gathered
round her.
"You'll allow me, your ladyship," drawled the gentle-man before alluded to, "to put my
pony to your coach? I assure you it will add to the reputation of your equipage."
"Thank you, Mr. Stanhope," returned Lady Susan
[338]
with a loud jolly laugh, "my coach can do without your pony; but if you like to add a
monkey to our load, we shall be glad to welcome you to supper — perhaps you too, Mr.
Brummel, would like to join our party. Come as many as like — I will feed you first
and play with you afterwards."
"Pray, pray, my dear Lady Susan, have some pity on our pockets," cried Mr. Brummel;
"mine is considerably the lighter for our long sitting at your house last night. But come,
I see your ladyship is quite at a loss to know what we are driving at with these ponies of
ours. You must know Lincoln, here, bets that my sedan, carried by my two strapping
fellows, will not reach your house before your ladyship's carriage — both starting fair
from the same point."
"And do you mean to say, Mr. Brummel, that you have so poor an opinion of my horses
as to make such a wager?"