him, and began to tremble.

Why did he tremble? Because--after the first rush of surprise--rage,
hate, and bloody thoughts crossed his mind. Here was his enemy, the
barrier to his happiness, come, of his own accord, to court his death.
Why not take him for a burglar, and shoot him dead? Such an act might be
blamed, but it could not be punished severely.

The temptation was so great, that the rifle shook in his hands, and a
cold perspiration poured down his back.

He prayed to God in agony to relieve him from this temptation; he felt
that it was more than he could bear.

He looked up. Coventry was drawing up a short iron ladder from below. He
then got hold of it and fixed it on the sill of Grace's window.

Little burst his own window open. "You villain!" he cried, and leveled
his rifle at him.

Coventry uttered a yell of dismay. Grace opened her window, and looked
out, with a face full of terror.

At sight of her, Coventry cried to her in abject terror, "Mercy! mercy!
Don't let him shoot me!"

Grace looked round, and saw Henry aiming at Coventry.

She screamed, and Little lowered the rifle directly.

Coventry crouched directly in the fork of the tree.

Grace looked bewildered from one to the other; but it was to Henry she
spoke, and asked him in trembling tones what it "all meant?"

But, ere either could make a reply, a dire sound was heard of hissing
thunder: so appalling that the three actors in this strange scene were
all frozen and rooted where they stood.

Then came a fierce galloping, and Ransome, with his black hair and beard
flying, and his face like a ghost, reined up, and shouted wildly, "Dam
burst! Coming down here! Fly for your lives! Fly!"

He turned and galloped up the hill.

Cole and his mate emerged, and followed him, howling; but before the
other poor creatures, half paralyzed, could do any thing, the hissing
thunder was upon them. What seemed a mountain of snow came rolling, and
burst on them with terrific violence, whirling great trees and fragments
of houses past with incredible velocity.

At the first blow, the house that stood nearest to the flying lake was
shattered and went to pieces soon after: all the houses quivered as the
water rushed round them two stories high.

Little never expected to live another minute; yet, in that awful moment,
his love stood firm. He screamed to Grace, "The houses must go!--the
tree!--the tree!--get to the tree!"

But Grace, so weak at times, wa