A Knight of the Air by Henry Tracey Coxwell

The secret thoughts of Harry Goodall, Captain Link and Miss Chain, whilst at dinner, were of a varied character. The aeronaut's were of a surprised and bewildered kind, his friend Link's of a cheerful description, and Miss Chain's of a mixed and somewhat melancholy order, for she felt sorry for her employer, who had been suddenly and unexpectedly thrown among people whom he had been studiously neglecting, and who would not probably be so genial had they known who he was. Miss Chain was hopeful, however, that Miss Dove would dispel the aeronaut's reserve, for she was trying to make him feel at home, and was unquestionably proving attractive to him. Even the squire thought that he had never seen his daughter so animated and captivating before. Captain Link was sure that Harry's visit could not possibly have a bad effect, for his excellent qualities would soon be appreciated; nor was he slow to perceive that, if the Doves' expected friend turned out to be Falcon, the man whom he had seen that morning with his confederate Croft, it would prove to be no ill wind that had blown them to Wedwell Park, so that the captain inwardly exulted in the idea that their rather risky cruise would turn out to be the luckiest he had ever made, as Mr William Goodall had assured him that, if he could only persuade his nephew to go to Wedwell either by rail or road, he would be booked for promotion, though of course, it never entered the merchant's mind that Harry would ever present himself there in his balloon, much less that he would do so in Captain Link's company, who had been afraid of their hovering over Essex, and had very likely been the cause of the balloon wandering into Sussex, and which by a fluke dropped among the Doves of Wedwell Park.

Miss Dove, meanwhile, seemed to be more and more taken with the aeronaut's unpretending manners, and to be listening intently to his excellent conversation.