aged,
with the elder son's help, to release the frightened horse from the
traces, and had given it in charge to the stable-boy,--"have a care, or
you'll be over into the chalk-pit, carriage and all."

"All right, William," cried the boy; "you look after Beauty, and I'll
look after myself." So saying, he jumped down, making the carriage rock
as he sprang to the ground.

And now, while Miss Huntingdon, who had suffered nothing more serious
than a severe shaking, was being led to the house by her elder nephew
and the female servants who had joined the rescuing party, Mr
Huntingdon, having made a careful inspection of the position of his
carriage, found that it was in no danger of falling to the bottom of the
chalk-pit, as a stout tree, which sprang from the side of the pit, close
to the top, had become entangled in the undermost hind wheel, and would
form a sufficient support till the proper means of drawing the vehicle
fully on to the level ground could be used on the morrow. All parties
then betook themselves slowly to the Manor-house.

In the kitchen, William the coachman was, of course, the great centre of
attraction to a large gathering of domestics, and of neighbours also,
who soon came flocking in, spite of the lateness of the hour, to get an
authentic version of the accident, which, snowball-like, would, ere noon
next day, get rolled up into gigantic proportions, as it made its way
through many mouths to the farther end of the parish.

In the drawing-room of the Manor-house a sympathising group gathered
round Mr Huntingdon and his sister, eager to know if either were
seriously the worse for the alarming termination to their journey.
Happily, both had escaped without damage of any consequence, so that
before they retired to rest they were able, as they drew round the
cheery fire, and heard the stormy wind raging without, to talk over the
perilous adventure with mutual congratulations at its happy termination,
and with thankfulness that the travellers were under the shelter of the
Manor roof, instead of being exposed to the rough blasts of the storm,
as they might still have been had the mishap occurred further from home.
"Walter, my boy," exclaimed Mr Huntingdon, stretching out his hand to
his younger son, "it was bravely done. If it had not been for you, we
might have been hanging over the mouth of the chalk-pit yet--or,
perhaps, been down at the bottom. You are a lad after your father's own
heart,--good ol