I said; 'off his head, and raving. It'll be a close thing
with him. Here's your horse now, and a good one too. We must let the old
pony go; he'll make home fast enough.'

She patted his neck and we turned him loose. He slued round and went
away steady, picking a bit as he went. He'd be home next day easy
enough, and nobody the wiser where he'd been to.

We'd brought a bit to eat and a glass of wine for the girl in case she
was faint, but she wouldn't take anything but a crust of bread and a
drink of water. There was a spring that ran all the year round near the
cattle-yard; and off went we, old Lieutenant holding up his head and
showing himself off. He didn't get such a rider on his back every day.

'What a dear horse,' she said, as she pulled him together a bit like and
settled herself fair and square in the saddle. 'Oh, how I could enjoy
all this if--if---- O my God! shall we ever know a moment's peace and
happiness in this world again? Are we always to be sunk in wretchedness
and misery as long as we live?'

We didn't lose much time after that, you be sure. Up and down, thick and
open, rough or smooth, we made the pace good, and Aileen gave us all we
knew to keep ahead of her. We had a good light when we got to the drop
down into the Hollow. The sun was just setting, and if we'd had time or
thought to give to the looks of things, no doubt it was a grand sight.

All the Hollow was lighted up, and looked like a green sea with islands
of trees in it. The rock towers on the other side of the range were
shining and glittering like as if they were made of crystallised quartz
or diamonds--red and white. There was a sort of mist creeping up the
valley at the lower end under the mountain that began to soften the fire
colours, and mix them up like. Even the mountain, that mostly looked
black and dreary, frowning at our ways, was of purple and gold, with
pale shadows of green and gray.

Aileen pulled up as we did, and jumped off our horses.

'So this is the Hollow,' she said, half talking to herself, 'that I've
heard and thought so much about. What a lovely, lovely place! Surely it
ought to have a different effect on the people that lived there.'

'Better come off, Ailie, and lead your horse down here,' says Jim,
'unless you want to ride down, like Starlight did, the first time we saw
him.'

'Starlight! is he here?' she said, in a surprised sort of way. 'I never
thought of that.'

'Of course he is; where else should