reach Willow Glade before ten
o'clock to-night."

"Yes, and about nine o'clock we shall be going down Bloody Run Hill,
and I never can go through the piece of woods between that and Gibbet
Hill after dark without horror."

"Ever since the peddler was murdered."

"Yes, ever since the peddler was murdered, and before, too."

Uncle Clive now jumped into his seat, and, taking the reins, we set
off at a pretty brisk rate.

"Clive, don't that horse look a little vicious? See how he pricks up
his ears!"

"Pooh! Nonsense! He's as safe a horse as ever drew."

"What o'clock is it, now?"

"Humph! half-past five. I think the next time we wish to get off at
sunrise, we had better arrange to start at midnight; then, perhaps, we
may succeed."

Turning the corner of the street at this moment the sudden sight of
the river, and the wood on the opposite bank, glimmering and
glistening in the light of the morning sun, elicited a simultaneous
burst of admiration from our travelers. Then the prospective pleasures
of the rural visit were discussed, the family and friendly reunions,
the dinner parties, the fish feasts upon the river's banks, the oyster
excursions and crab expeditions; and in such pleasant anticipations
the cheerful hours of that delightful forenoon slipped away; and when,
at last, the heat of the sun grew oppressive, and our sharpened
appetites reminded us of the dinner-basket, we began to cast around
for a cool, dry and shady spot on which to rest and refresh ourselves.
The road here was wide and passed through a thick forest. A few more
turns of the wheels brought us to a narrow footpath, diverging from
the main road into the forest on the left-hand side.

"Let's get out here, Clive, and follow this path; I know it. It leads
to a fine spring, with an acre or two of cleared land about it, on
which there was once a dwelling."

This was agreed upon, and we all alighted and took the path through
the wood. We had not gone many yards ere a scene of woodland beauty
opened to our view. It presented an area of about four acres of open
land in the midst of the forest. From the opposite side a little
rivulet took its rise, and ran tinkling and splashing, in its pebbly
bed, through the centre of this open glade, until its music was lost
in the distance in the forest. But the most interesting object in
sight was a ruined cottage. It was very small. It could not have
contained more than two rooms. In front there had once b