nd up the
opposite ascent. After awhile Hetty touched his shoulder.

"I really don't want to meddle; but, while caution is commendable, it will
be dark very soon," she said.

"Something has gone wrong," Clavering said gravely. "I'm afraid I'll have
to get down."

He stood for several minutes looking at the frame of the sleigh and an
indented line ploughed behind it in the snow, and then quietly commenced
to loose the horses.

"Well," said Hetty sharply, "what are you going to do?"

"Take them out," said Clavering.

"Why?"

Clavering laughed. "They are not elephants and have been doing rather more
than one could expect any horse to do. It is really not my fault, you
know, but one of the runners has broken, and the piece sticks into the
snow."

"Then, whatever are we to do?"

"I am afraid you and Miss Schuyler will have to ride on to Allonby's. I
can fix the furs so they'll make some kind of saddle, and it can't be more
than eight miles or so."

Miss Schuyler almost screamed. "I can't," she said.

"Don't talk nonsense, Flo," said Hetty. "You'll just have to."

Clavering's fingers were very cold, and the girls' still colder, before he
had somehow girthed a rug about each of the horses and ruthlessly cut and
knotted the reins. The extemporized saddles did not look very secure, but
Hetty lightly swung herself into one, though Miss Schuyler found it
difficult to repress a cry, and was not sure that she quite succeeded,
when Clavering lifted her to the other.

"I'm quite sure I shall fall off," she said.

Hetty was evidently very much displeased at something, for she seemed to
forget Clavering was there. "If you do I'll never speak to you again," she
said. "You might have been fond of him, Flo. There wasn't the least
necessity to put your arm right around his neck."

Clavering wisely stooped to do something to one of his moccasins, for he
saw an ominous sparkle in Miss Schuyler's eyes, but he looked up
prematurely and the smile was still upon his lips when he met Hetty's
gaze.

"How are you going to get anywhere?" she asked.

"Well," said Clavering, "it is quite a long while now since I was able to
walk alone."

Hetty shook her bridle, and the Badger started at a trot; but when Miss
Schuyler followed, Clavering, who fancied that her prediction would be
fulfilled, also set off at a run. He was, however, not quite fast enough,
for when he reached her Miss Schuyler was sitting in the snow. She
appeared to