aid.

"Yes?" rejoined Ralph.

"Yes. To make my visit to the perfidious Sallianna."

Ralph laughed.

"I thought you had abandoned her?"

"Never!"

"You wish to go and see her?"

"I will go this day!"

"Good! take half of my horse."

"Half?"

"Ride behind."

"Hum!"

"Come, my dear fellow, don't be bashful. He's a beautiful steed--look
there, through the window."

"I see him--but think of the figure we would cut."

"Two sons of Aymon!" laughed Ralph.

"I understand: of Jupiter Ammon," said Jinks; "but my legs, sir--my
legs?"

"What of 'em?"

"They require stirrups."

"All fancy--your legs, my dear Jinks, are charming. I consider them
the chief ornament you possess."

"Really, you begin to persuade me," observed Mr. Jinks, becoming
gradually tractable under the effect of the rum which he had been
sipping for some minutes, and gazing complacently at his grasshopper
continuations in their scarlet stockings.

"Of course," Ralph replied, "so let us set out at once."

"Yes, yes! revenge at once!"

And the great Jinks wiped his mouth with the back of his
hands;--brought his sword-belt into position, and assuming a manner of
mingled dignity and ferocity, issued forth with Ralph.

The latter gentleman, laughing guardedly, mounted into the saddle, and
then rode to the spot at which Jinks awaited him.

"Come," he said, "there's no time to be lost;--recollect, your rival
has gone before!"

The thought inspired Mr. Jinks with supernatural activity, and making
a leap, he lit, so to speak, behind Ralph, much after the fashion of a
monkey falling on the bough of a cocoanut tree.

The leap, however, had been somewhat too vigorous, and Mr. Jinks found
one of his grasshopper legs under the animal; while the other extended
itself at right-angles, in a horizontal position, to the astonishment
of the hostler standing by.

"All right!" cried Ralph, with a roar of laughter.

And setting spur to the terrified animal, he darted from the door,
followed by general laughter and applause, with which the clattering
of Mr. Jinks' sword, and the cries he uttered, mingled pleasantly.
This was the manner in which Jinks set out for revenge.

CHAPTER XXXII.

AN OLD BIBLE.

On the morning of the day upon which the events we have just related
occurred, little Redbud was sitting at her window, reading by the red
light of sunrise.

If anything is beautiful in this world, assuredly it is the fresh,
innocent f