hose days, added to the
anxiety, told severely on her strength; but there is this amount of good
in a trying bit of "hurrying life," the rest, when it comes, is doubly
restful.

It was about six o'clock on an August evening when Raeburn and Erica
reached the little country town of Firdale. They were to take up their
abode for the next six weeks at a village about three miles off, one
of the few remaining places in England which maintained its primitive
simplicity, its peaceful quiet having never been disturbed by shriek of
whistle or snort of engine.

The journey from town had been short and easy, but Raeburn was terribly
exhausted by it; he complained of such severe headache that they made
up their minds to stay that night at Firdale, and were soon comfortably
established in the most charming old inn, which in coaching days had
been a place of note. Here they dined, and afterward Raeburn fell asleep
on a big old-fashioned sofa, while Erica sat by the open window, able in
spite of her anxiety to take a sort of restful interest in watching the
traffic in the street below. Such a quiet, easy-going life these Firdale
people seemed to lead. They moved in such a leisurely way; bustle and
hurry seemed an unknown thing. And yet this was market day, as was
evident by the country women with their baskets, and by occasional
processions of sheep or cattle. One man went slowly by driving a
huge pig; he was in sight for quite five minutes, dawdling along,
and allowing the pig to have his own sweet will as far as speed was
concerned, but occasionally giving him a gentle poke with a stick when
he paused to burrow his nose in the mud. Small groups of men stood
talking at the corner of the market place; a big family went by,
evidently returning from a country walk; presently the lamps were
lighted, and then immense excitement reigned in the little place for at
the corner where the two main streets crossed each other at right angles
a cheap-jack had set up his stall and, with flaring naptha lamps to show
his goods, was selling by auction the most wonderful clocks at the very
lowest prices in fact, the most superior glass, china, clothing, and
furniture that the people of Firdale had ever had the privilege of
seeing. Erica listened with no little amusement to his fervid appeals to
the people not to lose this golden opportunity, and to the shy responses
of the small crowd which had been attracted and which lingered on,
tempted yet cautio