Then came a day when it happened that both sentinels were absent from duty. The colonel was busy giving directions for the making of a covered riding-way where his gouty limbs would not be exposed to chills, and Fraeulein von Schwertfeger was nowhere to be found. Lilly's heart beat fast as she and her merry friend met, and she gave him her hand with a smile of suppressed triumph. He responded with a sly wink in the direction of the terrace, where her duenna was wont to stand. "She's nowhere to be seen," whispered Lilly. "What are we to do, then," he said, wringing his hands in mock lamentation, "without the protecting eye of the illustrious Fraeulein? How are we to mount?" The September sky was very blue; a crisp breeze, heavy with the perfume of damp freshly turned sods, blew across the courtyard. He pointed with his whip to the open gate. She laughed and nodded assent. The next moment she cantered beside him along the grassy road, whither no Argus eye could follow them, inwardly rejoicing and exultantly scenting all sorts of mad pranks. But he seemed unwilling to make the most of their unexpected freedom. He kept his eyes fixed in front of him; every now and then he caught at her rein, altered her stirrups or corrected her seat in the saddle. He was the riding-master and nothing more. "What's Tommy doing?" she asked, finding things dull. "Tommy sends his love," he answered with his gaze still fastened on the road, "and wishes to say that to-day we had better attend to the horses, for if anything happens we shall not be allowed out again." "My love to Tommy," she retorted, "and tell him he's a little goose." "I'll not forget," he said, and bowed over the saddle. They came to a coppice of larch-trees where the ground was slightly boggy and required careful crossing. But she saw nothing but the silver sheen of the trunks, and the golden mist made by the delicate leaves dancing in the breeze and nearly brushing her cheek. "Oh, look, how lovely!" she said with a sigh of satisfaction. Then a demon within her prompted her to an act of madness. She touched the mare with her whip and started off on a wild gallop, regardless of all the rules and regulations laid down by her riding-master. In a few seconds he came up with her, seized her bridle, and with a dexterous jerk brought both horses to a standstill. Their eyes flashed into each other. She felt as if she must throw herself on to his saddle to be nearer him at any cost. "What do you mean by that, dear little comrade?" he roared. "And what do you mean by calling me 'dear little comrade'?" she retorted. Then they turned their horses and walked them slowly and in silence homewards. CHAPTER XIX