iendish triumph in his face when he found the
challenge was accepted--if ever there was a devil incarnate, he is one."

A sigh was my only answer, for his words were but the echo of my
forebodings.

"Now I will tell you what brought me here," he continued; "don't you
think that we ought to have a surgeon on the ground, in case of anything
going wrong?"

"To be sure," replied I; "I must have been mad to have forgotten that it
was necessary--what can be done?--it is not every man that would choose
to be mixed up with such an affair. Where is it that William Ellis's
brother (Ellis of Trinity Hall, you know) has settled?--he told me he
had purchased a practice somewhere in our neighbourhood."

"The very man, if we could but get him," replied Archer; "the name of
the village is Harley End; do you know such a place?"

"Yes," returned I, "I know it well; it is a favourite meet of the
hounds, about twelve miles hence. I'll find him, and bring him
here--what time is it? just two--if I could get a horse I would do it
easily."

"My tilbury and horse are up at the village," said ~214~~Archer; "now
Harry's horses are at home, they could not take mine in at the hall."

"The very thing," said I, "we shall not lose a moment in that case. Is
your horse fast? I shall have to try his mettle."

"He'll not fail you," was the reply, "but don't spare him--I would
rather you should ruin fifty horses than arrive too late."

On reaching the inn we had to rouse a drowsy hostler in order to procure
the key of the stables, and it was half-past two before I was able, to
start.

The road to Harley End was somewhat intricate, more than once I took a
wrong turning, and was forced to retrace my steps; being aware also of
the distance I had to perform, I did not dare to hurry the horse
too much, so that it only wanted a quarter to four when I reached my
destination. Here, however, fortune favoured me. Mr. Ellis, it appeared,
being an ardent disciple of Isaac Walton, had resolved to rise at
day-break in order to beguile sundry trout, and, at the entrance of the
village, I met him strolling along, rod in hand. Two minutes sufficed to
make him acquainted with the object of my mission, and in less than
five minutes more (a space of time which I employed in washing out
the horse's mouth at an opportune horse-trough, with which I took
the liberty of making free) he had provided himself with a case of
instruments and other necessary horrors, all of