ver heeded it not. A window was suddenly let down; the voice of the
professional man saying, "What's the matter? We're not followed. You
are imperiling our lives by this speed," was answered only by, "Will
some of ye throttle that d--d fool?" from the driver, and the renewed
fall of the lash. The wayside trees appeared a solid plateau before
them, opened, danced at their side, closed up again behind them,--but
still they sped along. Rushing down grades with the speed of an
avalanche, they ascended again without drawing rein, and as if by sheer
momentum; for the heavy vehicle now seemed to have a diabolical energy
of its own. It ground scattered rocks to powder with its crushing
wheels, it swayed heavily on ticklish corners, recovering itself with
the resistless forward propulsion of the straining teams, until the
lights of Three Pine Station began to glitter through the trees. Then
a succession of yells broke from the driver, so strong and dominant
that they seemed to outstrip even the speed of the unabated cattle.
Lesser lights were presently seen running to and fro, and on the
outermost fringe of the settlement the stage pulled up before a crowd
of wondering faces, and the driver spoke.

"We've been held up on the open road, by G--d, not THREE MILES from
whar ye men are sittin' here yawpin'! If thar's a man among ye that
hasn't got the soul of a skunk, he'll foller and close in upon 'em
before they have a chance to get into the brush." Having thus relieved
himself of his duty as an enforced noncombatant, and allowed all
further responsibility to devolve upon his recreant fellow employees,
he relapsed into his usual taciturnity, and drove a trifle less
recklessly to the station, where he grimly set down his bruised and
discomfited passengers. As Key mingled with them, he could not help
perceiving that neither the late "orator's" explanation of his
exemption from their fate, nor the driver's surly corroboration of his
respectability, had pacified them. For a time this amused him,
particularly as he could not help remembering that he first appeared to
them beside the mysterious horseman who some one thought had been
identified as one of the masks. But he was not a little piqued to find
that the fair unknown appeared to participate in their feelings, and
his first civility to her met with a chilling response. Even then, in
the general disillusion of his romance regarding her, this would have
been only a momen