peak to her again, but puffed away at his pipe
in silence while they crawled slowly up a long hill leading out of the
town. But this quiet pace did not last, for, the road becoming level,
the pony took to a kind of amble which seemed its natural pace, and was
soon urged from that into a gallop by its driver. Rattle, rattle, bump!
Went the little cart over the rough road; and Biddy, feeling that she
must otherwise be tossed out like a nine-pin, clung desperately to her
new master's many wrappings. The Reverend Roy drove very wild, she
thought, and how dark it was! She could just dimly see on either side
of her, as they bounded along, wide open country stretching far away in
the distance; great gently swelling downs were lying there in the
mysterious darkness, and all the winds of heaven seemed to have met
above them to fight together. How it blew! And yet it managed to rain
too at the same time. The wind battled with Biddy's umbrella, and
tugged madly at her bonnet strings, and buffeted Mr Roy's wide-awake,
and screamed exultingly as it blew out his pipe!

"Fresh up here, isn't it?" he remarked as he took it out of his mouth.

Fresh! Biddy had never felt so cold in her life, and could not have
thought there had been so much fresh air in the whole world put
together.

On they went, swinging up and down until her brain reeled; on, on,
through the rain and whistling wind, over the lonely downs, while she
strained her eyes in vain for sight or sound of a living creature. If
this was what they meant by a "lonesome" place it was "terr'ble" indeed.

Hours seemed to pass in this way, and then the pony slackened its pace a
little. Biddy peered from under the edge of the umbrella and could now
make out that they were in a sort of lane, for instead of open country
there was a hedge on each side of the road. They must be near Wavebury
now, she thought, though she could see no houses or lights or people;
her fingers were cramped and cold, and she could not cling on much
longer either to her umbrella or Mr Roy's cloak. But suddenly the pony
was checked to a walk, the cart ceased to jump up and down so wildly,
and she was able to relax her hold, with a deep sigh of relief.

"It's an awkward bit just here," said Mr Roy, "for they've been felling
a tree, and left pieces of it lying about in the road."

In front of them was a white gate which stood open and led into what
looked like a farmyard, for there were sheds and ou