s much as possible through the more open parts of the wood, he
proceeded almost a mile without either recovering a view of the light or
seeing anything resembling a habitation. Still, however, he thought it
best to persevere in that direction. It must surely have been a light in
the hut of a forester, for it shone too steadily to be the glimmer of an
ignis fatuus. The ground at length became broken and declined rapidly,
and, although Brown conceived he still moved along what had once at least
been a pathway, it was now very unequal, and the snow concealing those
breaches and inequalities, the traveller had one or two falls in
consequence. He began now to think of turning back, especially as the
falling snow, which his impatience had hitherto prevented his attending
to, was coming on thicker and faster.

Willing, however, to make a last effort, he still advanced a little way,
when to his great delight he beheld the light opposite at no great
distance, and apparently upon a level with him. He quickly found that
this last appearance was deception, for the ground continued so rapidly
to sink as made it obvious there was a deep dell, or ravine of some kind,
between him and the object of his search. Taking every precaution to
preserve his footing, he continued to descend until he reached the bottom
of a very steep and narrow glen, through which winded a small rivulet,
whose course was then almost choked with snow. He now found himself
embarrassed among the ruins of cottages, whose black gables, rendered
more distinguishable by the contrast with the whitened surface from which
they rose, were still standing; the side-walls had long since given way
to time, and, piled in shapeless heaps and covered with snow, offered
frequent and embarrassing obstacles to our traveller's progress. Still,
however, he persevered, crossed the rivulet, not without some trouble,
and at length, by exertions which became both painful and perilous,
ascended its opposite and very rugged bank, until he came on a level with
the building from which the gleam proceeded.

It was difficult, especially by so imperfect a light, to discover the
nature of this edifice; but it seemed a square building of small size,
the upper part of which was totally ruinous. It had, perhaps, been the
abode in former times of some lesser proprietor, or a place of strength
and concealment, in case of need, for one of greater importance. But only
the lower vault remained, the arch