dful. But still he would fight it on.

CHAPTER XXX

ANOTHER FALL

Felix Graham had plenty of nurses, but Madeline was not one of them.
Augustus Staveley came home while the Alston doctor was still busy
at the broken bones, and of course he would not leave his friend. He
was one of those who had succeeded in the hunt, and consequently had
heard nothing of the accident till the end of it. Miss Tristram had
been the first to tell him that Mr. Graham had fallen in leaving the
covert, but having seen him rise to his legs she had not thought he
was seriously hurt.

"I do not know much about your friend," she had said; "but I think I
may comfort you by an assurance that your horse is none the worse. I
could see as much as that."

"Poor Felix!" said, Staveley. "He has lost a magnificent run. I
suppose we are nine or ten miles from Monkton Grange now?"

"Eleven if we are a yard," said the lady. "It was an ugly country,
but the pace was nothing wonderful." And then others dropped in, and
at last came tidings about Graham. At first there was a whisper that
he was dead. He had ridden over Orme, it was said; had nearly killed
him, and had quite killed himself. Then the report became less fatal.
Both horses were dead, but Graham was still living though with most
of his bones broken.

"Don't believe it," said Miss Tristram. "In what condition Mr. Graham
may be I won't say; but that your horse was safe and sound after he
got over the fence, of that you may take my word." And thus, in a
state of uncertainty, obtaining fresh rumours from every person he
passed, Staveley hurried home. "Right arm and two ribs," Peregrine
said to him, as he met him in the hall. "Is that all?" said Augustus.
It was clear therefore that he did not think so much about it as his
sister.

"If you'd let her have her head she'd never have come down like
that," Augustus said, as he sat that evening by his friend's bedside.

"But he pulled off, I fancy, to avoid riding over me," said
Peregrine.

"Then he must have come too quick at his leap," said Augustus. "You
should have steadied him as he came to it." From all which Graham
perceived that a man cannot learn how to ride any particular horse by
two or three words of precept.

"If you talk any more about the horse, or the hunt, or the accident,
neither of you shall stay in the room," said Lady Staveley, who came
in at that moment. But they both did stay in the room, and said a
great deal more