ower during his Indian
service, had been able to live inexpensively, besides having had a large
amount of prize money. She had always had her own horse at Littleworthy,
and now when Rachel was one day lamenting to her the difficulty of
raising money for the Industrial Asylum, and declaring that she would
part with her horse if she was sure of its falling into good hands,
Bessie volunteered to buy it, it was exactly what would suit her, and
she should delight in it as a reminder of dear Avonmouth. It was a pang,
Rachel loved the pretty spirited creature, and thought of her rides with
the Colonel; but how weigh the pleasure of riding against the welfare
of one of those hard-worked, half-stifled little girls, and besides, it
might be best to have done with Colonel Keith now that her mission had
come to find her. So the coachman set a purposely unreasonable value
upon poor Meg, and Rachel reduced the sum to what had been given for it
three years before; but Bessie begged her brother to look at the animal
and give his opinion.

"Is that what you are after?" he exclaimed.

"Indeed, Alick, I thought it was the greatest kindness I could do her;
she is so very eager about this plan, and so anxious to find poor Meg a
good home."

"Purely to oblige her?"

"Of course, Alick, it was much more convenient to her than if she had
had to send about to horse-dealers or to advertise. I doubt if she could
have done it at all; and it is for her asylum, you know."

"Then give the coachman's sixty guineas at once."

"Ah, Alick, that's your infatuation!" and she put on a droll gesture of
pity. "But excuse me, where would be the fine edge of delicacy in giving
a manifestly fancy price? Come and look at her."

"I never meddle with horse-dealing."

"Stuff, as if you weren't the best-mounted man in the regiment. I shall
send a note to Captain Sykes if you won't; he knows how to drive a
bargain."

"And give a fancy price the other way. Well, Bessie, on one condition
I'll go, and that is, that Meg goes to Bishopsworthy the day she is
yours. I won't have her eating Lady Temple's corn, and giving her
servants trouble."

"As if I should think of such a thing."

Captain Keith's estimate of the value of the steed precisely agreed with
Rachel's demand of the original price. Bessie laughed, and said there
was collusion.

"Now seriously, Alick, do you think her worth so much? Isn't it a pity,
when you know what a humbug poor Rachel is going t