ell, I must say you seem in a fine
state of preservation for a man who has been exposed to the storm all
night. You have not a wet thread on you."

"Lor', miss, it rained till one o'clock, and then the wind riz and
blowed till six and blowed me dry," said Wool, as he sprang off his
horse and helped his young mistress to alight.

Then, instead of taking the beasts to the stable, he tied them to the
tree and hurried into the house and upstairs to his master's room, to
apprise him of the return of the lost sheep, Capitola.

Old Hurricane was lying awake, tossing, groaning and grumbling with
anxiety.

On seeing Wool enter he deliberately raised up and seized a heavy iron
candlestick and held it ready to hurl at the head of that worthy, whom
he thus addressed:

"Ah, you have come, you atrocious villain! You know the conditions. If
you have dared to show your face without bringing your young mistress--"

"Please, marse, I wur out looking for her all night."

"Have you brought her?" thundered Old Hurricane, rising up.

"Please, marse, yes, sir; I done found her and brought her home safe."

"Send her up to me," said Old Hurricane, sinking back with a sigh of
infinite relief.

Wool flew to do his bidding.

In five minutes Capitola entered her uncle's chamber.

Now, Old Hurricane had spent a night of almost intolerable anxiety upon
his favorite's account, bewailing her danger and praying for her safety
but no sooner did he see her enter his chamber safe and sound and
smiling than indignation quite mastered him, and jumping out of his bed
in his nightgown, he made a dash straight at Capitola.

Now, had Capitola run there is little doubt but that, in the blindness
of his fury, he would have caught and beat her then and there. But Cap
saw him coming, drew up her tiny form, folded her arms and looked him
directly in the face.

This stopped him; but, like a mettlesome old horse suddenly pulled up
in full career, he stamped and reared and plunged with fury, and foamed
and spluttered and stuttered before he could get words out.

"What do you mean, you vixen, by standing there and popping your great
eyes out at me? Are you going to bite, you tigress? What do you mean by
facing me at all?" he roared, shaking his fist within an inch of
Capitola's little pug nose.

"I am here because you sent for me, sir," was Cap's unanswerable
rejoinder.

"Here because I sent for you! humph! humph! humph! and come dancing and
smiling