d,
friend, feeling as if my heart was tied behind with the trunks."

The sailor laughed, ran his fingers through his curls and stamped in
lively recollection.

"Nothing to be drawn from their landlady. But I am not the man to
allow a prize to be snatched from under my very nose. So,
anathematising Miss O'Donoghue's family-tree, root, stem, and
branch--except that most lovely off-shoot I mean to transplant (you
will forgive this heat of blood; it was clearing for action so to
speak)--I ran out and overtook the ostler whom I had seen putting the
finishing touch to the lashing of boxes behind! _'Gloucester!'_ says
he. The word was worth the guinea it cost me, a hundred times
over.--In less than an hour I was in the saddle, ready for pursuit,
cantering boot to boot with my man--a trusty fellow who knows how to
hold his tongue, and can sit a horse in the bargain. Neither at
Gloucester, nor the next day, up to Worcester, could we succeed in
doing more than keep our fugitives in view. When they had alighted at
one inn, as ascertained by my squire, we patronised the opposition
hostelry, and the ensuing morning cantered steadily in pursuit, on
_our_ new post-horses half an hour after they had rumbled away with
_their_ relays. But the evening of our arrival at Worcester, my fellow
found out, at last, what the next stage was to be, and--clever chap,
he lost nothing for his sharpness--that the Three Kings' Heads had
been recommended to the old lady as the best house in Shrewsbury. This
time we took the lead, and on to Shrewsbury, and were at the glorious
old Kings' Heads (I in a private room, tight as wax) a good couple of
hours before the chariot made its appearance. And there, man, there!
my pretty one and I met again!"

"That was, no doubt," put in Sir Adrian, in his gentle, indulgent way,
"what made the Kings' Heads so glorious?"

"Ay. Right! And yet it was but a few seconds, on the stair, under a
smoky lamp, but her beauty filled the landing with radiance as her
kindness did my soul.--It was but for a moment, all blessed moment,
too brief, alas! Ah, Adrian, friend--old hermit in your cell--_you_
have never known life, you who have never tasted a moment such as
that! Then we started apart: there was a noise below, and she had only
time to whisper that she was on her way to Pulwick to some
relatives--had only heard it that very day--when steps came up the
stairs, creaking. With a last promise, a last word of love, I leaped