rs. What's
he waiting for?"

"I guess he haint pitched upon a likely place to settle yet,"--said Mr.
Simlins, in a manner equally careless and devoid of reliable
information. Squire Deacon gave a little inarticulate reply.

"He'd better hurry up--" he said,--"Dr. Harrison's giving chase."

"Is he?" said Mr. Simlins. "He'll be where the dog was when he chased
the wolf--if he's spry. I shouldn't wonder."

"O--you think he's a wolf, do you?" said Mr. Deacon. "Well--the
doctor's chance aint much the worse of that."

"Don't look very carnivorous," said Mr. Simlins, "but I aint sure. I
wouldn't be so quick in my presumptions, Squire. You'll shoot the wrong
game one of these days--if you haint already."

"Think so?" said the Squire. "Well, I aint after the game they are, any
way, so it don't matter to me which of 'em gets her. Most folks say
it's like to be the doctor,--_she_ seems tryin' 'em both by turns."

The riders, on their part, had a short run back on the road they had
come, to where there was a hedge and thicket and trees together; and
Faith's horse being led close up to the side of the hedge, and she
herself provided with a knife, she was free to cut as many lynch-pins
as she chose. But at this point Faith handed back the knife. "I can't
do it half so well," she said. "I would rather you did it, Mr. Linden."

"You would rather not do it?" he said looking at her. "Is _no_ bread
pleasant but that 'eaten in secret'?"

Faith coloured very much. "I didn't care about _doing_ it, Mr. Linden,
except to be useful, and for the enterprise of going off for it by
myself. And I didn't care about _that_, more than two minutes."

"You know I had a charge about you before we came out," he said, taking
the knife and bending down towards the hedge to use it. "But for
that--or a like one in my own mind--you should have had your
enterprise. There--I think that may serve the purpose."

The lynch-pin being delivered, the riders left the distressed wagon
behind; and again the free road stretched before them; the soft air and
light filled all the way and even the brown tree stems with
pleasantness. The horses felt they had had a rest and pricked up their
ears to be in motion again, and the minds of the riders perhaps felt a
stir of the like kind.

"Miss Faith," said Mr. Linden, "a German writer says, that 'one should
every day read a fine poem, look upon an excellent picture, hear a
little good music, and, if possible, speak a