ainly have fallen into a brain-fever. My injuries were not nearly so
severe as they seemed. The blow stunned me, and cut my scalp in a
glancing way. It bled very profusely, so that the great flow of blood
probably saved me from a fit of illness, at the least."

"But the jarring journey by the coach?"

"I did not come that way. I came by water."

"Oh! I forget that you could come so. Go on."

"After you were taken from me, I was laid upon a sofa, where I found
myself when I recovered consciousness. The stage-coach that had carried
you off had been gone an hour, and no other was to start until the next
morning. To hope to overtake you was vain. But to meet you on your
arrival at Blackville was practicable, by taking the steamer that was to
start at noon. So I ordered a carriage, threw myself into it, and was
driven to the pier, where I took passage in the Falcon, bound for
Richmond."

"But, oh, Lyon! how could you have borne even so much exertion as that,
so soon after your accident?"

"Not very well, to tell you the truth. For as soon as I got on board, I
had to turn into my berth, and lay there with ice on my head and mustard
at my heels, until the boat arrived at Richmond. But I was then well
enough to leave the steamer and embark, on board a schooner, bound up
the river. At the mouth of the Black River I got into a small fishing
smack, that brought me to Blackville."

"And you reached the village--"

"Only this morning. I expected to find you in the hands of the
authorities, when, to my amazement, I heard that you had been rescued
from the bailiffs by that band of road robbers. I had scarcely recovered
from that astounding intelligence before I met Sheridan hurrying from
the hotel towards the court-house."

"To get my bail; but go on."

"He was surprised to see me, of course, but drew my arm in his own and
begged me to go with him. On our way thither he told me of the almost
incredible news that you had given yourself up to justice; that there
had been a preliminary examination, and that you were detained in
honorable custody by the high sheriff, until he, as your counsel, should
apply to the court to have you released upon recognizance. I went with
him to the court-room, where I found Pendleton and his sister. It seems
that Pendleton had come to Blackville to meet Beatrix, who was returning
from her visit to the city; but on hearing what was afoot they had gone
into court to tender their services in case