the road. In an instant he sprang to the saddle.
I needed no whip, no spur, for I was as eager as my rider; he saw it,
and giving me a free rein, and leaning a little forward, we dashed after
them.

For about a mile and a half the road ran straight, and then bent to the
right, after which it divided into two roads. Long before we came to
the bend she was out of sight. Which way had she turned? A woman was
standing at her garden gate, shading her eyes with her hand, and looking
eagerly up the road. Scarcely drawing the rein, Blantyre shouted, "Which
way?" "To the right!" cried the woman, pointing with her hand, and away
we went up the right-hand road; then for a moment we caught sight of
her; another bend and she was hidden again. Several times we caught
glimpses, and then lost them. We scarcely seemed to gain ground upon
them at all. An old road-mender was standing near a heap of stones, his
shovel dropped and his hands raised. As we came near he made a sign to
speak. Blantyre drew the rein a little. "To the common, to the common,
sir; she has turned off there." I knew this common very well; it was for
the most part very uneven ground, covered with heather and dark-green
furze bushes, with here and there a scrubby old thorn-tree; there were
also open spaces of fine short grass, with ant-hills and mole-turns
everywhere; the worst place I ever knew for a headlong gallop.

We had hardly turned on the common, when we caught sight again of the
green habit flying on before us. My lady's hat was gone, and her long
brown hair was streaming behind her. Her head and body were thrown back,
as if she were pulling with all her remaining strength, and as if that
strength were nearly exhausted. It was clear that the roughness of the
ground had very much lessened Lizzie's speed, and there seemed a chance
that we might overtake her.

While we were on the highroad, Blantyre had given me my head; but now,
with a light hand and a practiced eye, he guided me over the ground in
such a masterly manner that my pace was scarcely slackened, and we were
decidedly gaining on them.

About halfway across the heath there had been a wide dike recently cut,
and the earth from the cutting was cast up roughly on the other side.
Surely this would stop them! But no; with scarcely a pause Lizzie took
the leap, stumbled among the rough clods and fell. Blantyre groaned,
"Now, Auster, do your best!" He gave me a steady rein. I gathered myself
well together