then, suddenly wheeling him, he gave a cheery command and sent the
creature flying back, past his old place, and across the pavilion;
then turning and halting the horse before the group of officers, he
gave him a brisk pat, and said cheerily, 'Now down!' and, almost with
the word, the creature threw up its head and, with scarcely an
instant's hesitation, went over and lay quivering upon the ground.

A cheer went up from the onlookers. But without loss of time Lossing
had the horse up, turned him about, and, seeing him quite fit and not
too nervous, remounted; and now the horse was obedient to his every
move or word. Twice more he threw him, and then, returning him to
Diggs, he said:

'Diggs, a horse can be as jealous as a woman, and more easily shamed
than a boy. And if you are skilful, and love your horse, you can
master him; but beware of the first angry word. Anger makes brutes; it
never made an intelligent animal yet.'

He took my arm, and with a bow and a shake of the head to the
officers, who were moving toward him, and a nod to the troopers, he
hurried me out of the pavilion.

CHAPTER XXIX.

'FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!'

June had passed and July had come. Mr. Trent had arrived and was
eating his heart out while the days dragged by. Miss Jenrys waited and
wondered, and wrote to Miss O'Neil letters which she tried to make
cheerful, until one day she received a telegram. Mrs. Trent no longer
needed her, and Hilda O'Neil was coming to Chicago. She would set out
on July 3.

Of course I was summoned to meet her when she came, and I learned then
something about 'ordeal by question.' She was a pretty, brown-eyed,
gipsy-like, and petite maiden, more child than woman in her ways, but
with a warm, loving, and faithful heart, and a wit as bright and
ready almost as that of June Jenrys, who was, to my mind, the
cleverest as well as the queenliest of girls.

Miss O'Neil's presence was a boon to the sad-hearted father, for she
would not despair; and nature having blessed her with a strong and
hopeful temperament, and an abounding faith in a final good, she kept
the father's heart from despairing utterly.

Miss Jenrys, true to her word, had continued to receive Monsieur
Voisin, though she used much diplomacy in the matter, and seldom, if
ever, received him alone.

Lossing and I often met him there, and as the days wore on I noted
that Lossing was growing melancholy, or at least more serious and
thoughtful than of ol