the road was rough,
never once did he stumble; he still bore himself gallantly for the old
House of Fairlee. Ah! Toby, that road was miles too short for your
master. Willingly would he have ridden thus, aye, until his hair had
turned as white as snow on his brows, until the hand that guided the
reins became too feeble to grasp them; aye, even unto the end of time.

But before us lay Fairlee, and beyond that lay duty and the army.
"Look once more, my cavalier," said I to myself; "look once more, for
the moments are short, and in the days to come, in the dreary bivouacs
and on the long marches, when the world seems bare and cold, the
memory of that sweet face will brighten up with sunshine your
existence and make it all glorious again. Oh, hang it, here is
Fairlee!"

"Mistress Jean," I whispered. I was loath to wake her, but it had to
be done. "Mistress Jean!" I said, this time louder, and she awoke with
a start. "This is Fairlee, and you can rest here with my mother, while
I push on."

"Fairlee? Why, where am I? Oh, I remember now. Did I go to sleep, Mr.
Frisby?"

"You did, Mistress Jean."

A quick, blush came.

"Oh," she said, "how can I thank you? I don't deserve----"

"Ah, Mistress Jean, it is I who do not deserve that pleasure. I would
go through a hundred fights to be able to do it again; but you are
tired, and I will rouse the house."

So, hammering on the door, I soon brought John Cotton to it. His
woolly hair almost went straight on seeing me, and he started back,
for he thought he saw my ghost.

"Good Lord, Mars Jim," he stammered, "does that be you?"

"Yes, you black scamp." And I soon convinced him of my real
personality.

"But, Mars Jim, who is dat you got wid you? It ain't one of dem
Yankee ladies, is it?" For, I am sorry to say, John Cotton did not
approve of the ladies in question, and was afraid I would "disgrace de
family" if I married one of them. Before I could answer I heard a glad
little cry, and there was my mother, coming down the stairway of the
great hall.

"How is my little lady?" said I, as I picked her up and kissed her,
and then I introduced Mistress Jean to her and told her of our
adventure at the Braes.

Then my mother went up to her, in her stately little way, and took her
hands in hers, and kissed and welcomed her to the House of Fairlee.

So they made friends with each other then and there, as women do, and
my mother led her away, up the broad stairs, and I stood loo