and overshoes in the kitchen, "and here's a
lantern. We don't keep no horse now, but there's feed left."

As we pushed through the deep snow into the barn, Uncle Beamish said:

"I've been tryin' my best to think where we are without askin' any
questions, and I'm dead beat. I don't remember no such house as this
on the road."

"Perhaps we got off the road," said I.

"That may be," said he, as we entered the barn. "It's a straight road
from Warburton to the pike near my sister's house, but there's two
other roads that branch off to the right and strike the pike further
off to the east. Perhaps we got on one of them in all that darkness
and perplexin' whiteness, when it wasn't easy to see whether we were
keepin' a straight road or not."

The horse neighed as we approached with a light.

"I would not be at all surprised," said I, "if this horse had once
belonged here and that was the reason why, as soon as he got a chance,
he turned and made straight for his old home."

"That isn't unlikely," said Uncle Beamish, "and that's the reason we
did not pass Crocker's. But here we are, wherever it is, and here
we've got to stay till mornin'."

We found hay and oats and a pump in the corner of the wagon-house, and
having put the horse in the stall and made him as comfortable as
possible with some old blankets, we returned to the house, bringing our
valises with us.

Our supper was served in the sitting-room because there was a good fire
there, and the servant told us we would have to eat by ourselves, as
"she" was not coming down.

"We'll excuse her," said Uncle Beamish, with an alacrity of expression
that might have caused suspicion.

We had a good supper, and were then shown a room on the first floor on
the other side of the hall, where the servant said we were to sleep.

We sat by the stove awhile, waiting for developments, but as Uncle
Beamish's bedtime was rapidly approaching, he sent word to the
sick-chamber that he was coming up for his final visit.

This time he stayed up-stairs but a few minutes.

"She's fast asleep," said he, "and the old woman says she'll call me if
I'm needed in the night, and you'll have to jump up sharp and overhaul
that medicine-case if that happens."

The next morning, and very early in the morning, I was awaked by Uncle
Beamish, who stood at my side.

"Look here," said he, "I've been outside. It's stopped snowin' and
it's clearin' off. I've been to the barn and I've fed th