nd just
as one of the men attempted to seize the reins, declaring he had himself
promised to carry the lady home, I caught them from him, and we drove
rapidly up the street.

Somehow Miss Darry's confession of a little feminine timidity put me
more at ease with her than I had ever been before. I was a strong,
muscular fellow of nineteen, perfectly able to defend myself in
circumstances of ordinary danger, and proud that a woman so superior to
me should trust in my readiness to protect her. Life and vigor tingled
in every nerve of my body; the clear, stinging winter air, exhilarating
to healthy, as wine is to enfeebled bodies, thrilled me with enjoyment;
and I was seated beside the most intelligent and appreciative companion
I had ever known.

How much of my life, with its restless desires and unsatisfied tastes,
must have revealed itself in that ride, which seemed only too short, as
she asked me to drive up the avenue leading to the stone house, whose
beacon I had looked at that same evening from the forge!

"Do you live here?" I asked, in surprise, as we drove swiftly along.

"Yes, I teach Miss Merton's little sisters."

We had no time for further words. The horse stopped before the house,
whose great hall-door swung open, letting a flood of light stream over
the stone steps. A young girl, wrapped in an ermine cape, ran down to
us, followed by the stranger whose appearance in the forge that
afternoon had created such a tumult in my mind.

The scene was a beautiful one. Every shrub and tree on the lawn was
enveloped in a garment of more dazzling purity than the ermine before
me. The moonlight was radiant, the stars sparkled lustrously in the
steel cold sky, the earth was carpeted and canopied with a beauty more
resplendent than the graceful luxuriance of summer. Miss Darry probably
ascribed my immovable position to artistic enjoyment of the landscape,
for I remained perfectly quiet while she explained the cause of her
detention to Miss Merton.

"We have been quite anxious about you," said the gentleman, as she
concluded; and turning to me, "Why, we are indebted for your safe return
to the young man by whom my horse was shod this evening!"

And before I could stammer a reply, Miss Darry exclaimed,--

"Jump out, if you please, Sandy. I should like to do the same."

I did so, mechanically, and was about to stand aside for the gentleman
to offer his hand, but she extended hers to me, and sprang lightly
beside me