"Ah，the governess!" he repeated; "deuce take me，if I had not forgotten! The governess!" and again my raiment underwent scrutiny. In two minutes he rose from the stile: his face expressed pain when he tried to move.

"I cannot mission you to fetch help," he said; "but you may help me a little yourself，if you will be so kind."

"Yes，sir."

"You have not an umbrella that I can use as a stick?"

"No."

"Try to get hold of my horse"s bridle and lead him to me: you are not afraid?"

I should have been afraid to touch a horse when alone，but when told to do it，I was disposed to obey. I put down my muff on the stile，and went up to the tall steed; I endeavoured to catch the bridle，but it was a spirited thing，and would not let me e near its head; I made effort on effort，though in vain: meantime，I was mortally afraid of its trampling forefeet. The traveller waited and watched for some time，and at last he laughed.

"I see," he said，"the mountain will never be brought to Mahomet，so all you can do is to aid Mahomet to go to the mountain; I must beg of you to e here."

I came. "Excuse me," he continued: "necessity pels me to make you useful." He laid a heavy hand on my shoulder，and leaning on me with some stress，limped to his horse. Having once caught the bridle，he mastered it directly and sprang to his saddle; grimacing grimly as he made the effort，for it wrenched his sprain.

"Now," said he，releasing his under lip from a hard bite，"just hand me my whip; it lies there under the hedge." I sought it and found it.

"Thank you; now make haste with the letter to Hay，and return as fast as you can."

A touch of a spurred heel made his horse first start and rear，and then bound away; the dog rushed in his traces; all three vanished，"Like heath that，in the wilderness，The wild wind whirls away."