ferring to take the chances of her lone
pilgrimage to casting herself into unknown and suspected hands.

It soon appeared, however, that the discovery was mutual, and that the
horsemen had less fear of her than she of them; for, after a moment's pause
to satisfy themselves of the reality of her presence, they turned their
horses' heads toward her, and in a few seconds arrived at the spot where
she stood, silently awaiting their approach. She had feared they were
members of the association of thieves, and as such, was expecting to see
hard features with a brigand's expression upon them; but, much to her
surprise and pleasure, the men before her bore none of the marks she had
pictured to herself, but were genteelly dressed and quite fine-looking
fellows. One of them addressed her in the most polite manner and with a
grace that showed plainly he had been in good society:

"Will you pardon me, fair lady, a stranger, for being so bold as to presume
to address you? but it is so strange to see one so delicate as yourself in
the midst of a wild wilderness at such an early hour. May I inquire if
misfortune has overtaken you? or why it is that you are here? and if we can
be of any service to you?"

There was something in the voice that sounded familiar to Eveline, and she
looked at the speaker to see if she could recognize him as a casual
acquaintance, but she could not; his features and face were entirely
strange to her; and though every word he uttered seemed to be in a tone she
had heard before, it was impossible for her to tell where or when, and she
concluded it must be a singular coincidence and nothing more. When he
concluded, she replied:

"I have been so unfortunate, sir, as to lose my way in the forest, and have
wandered I know not whither, in my nightlong efforts to extricate myself
from the unpleasant situation in which I am placed. If you can aid me to
get to C----, or to any other neighborhood, I will take it as a great
favor, and will reward you for your trouble."

"We will escort you with the greatest pleasure to any point you may wish to
go. You must have wandered a long way if you started from C----, for it is
more than fifty miles to that place."

"Indeed! I had no expectation it was so far. I cannot think of asking you
to take me such a distance."

"We will do so with the utmost pleasure without being asked; it is exactly
in our way, and very fortunately we have a horse at hand, already
caparisoned for