except his own.

He rode straight to the stables and loosed the girths of his
horse, and gave particular directions about grooming and feeding
him, and stayed in the stall for a few minutes rubbing his ears
and fondling him. The antagonism which possessed him for the
moment against mankind perhaps made him appreciate the value of
his relations with a well-trained beast. He had not been in
Englebourn for some years, and the servant did not know him, and
answered that Mr. Winter was not out of his room and never saw
strangers till the afternoon. Where was Miss Winter, then? She
was down the village at Widow Winburn's, and he couldn't tell
when she would be back, the man said. The contents of Katie's
note of the day before had gone out of his head, but the mention
of Betty's name recalled them, and with them something of the
kindly feeling which had stirred within him on hearing of her
illness. So, saying he would call later to see his uncle, he
started again to find the widow's cottage, and his cousin.

The servant had directed him to the last house in the village,
but, when he got outside of the gate, there were houses in two
directions. He looked about for some one and from whom to inquire
further, and his eye fell upon our old acquaintance, the
constable, coming out of his door with a parcel under his arm.

The little man was in a brown study, and did not notice Tom's
first address. He was in fact anxiously thinking over his old
friend's illness and her son's trouble; and was on his way to
Farmer Grove's, (having luckily the excuse of taking a coat to be
tried on) in the hopes of getting him to interfere and patch up
the quarrel between young Tester and Harry.

Tom's first salute had been friendly enough; no one knew better
how to speak to the poor, amongst whom he had lived all his life,
than he. But, not getting any answer, and being in a touchy state
of mind, he was put out, and shouted--

"Hello, my man, can't you hear me?"

"Ees, I beant dunch," replied the constable, turning and looking
at his questioner.

"I thought you were, for I spoke loud enough before. Which is
Mrs. Winburn's cottage?"

"The furdest house down ther," he said, pointing, "'tis in my way
if you've a mind to come." Tom accepted the offer and walked
along by the constable.

"Mrs. Winburn is ill, isn't she," he asked, after looking his
guide over.

"Ees, her be--terrible bad," said the constable.

"What is the matter with her, do