come weu then god s good man she would go and see him herself and would tell him just why she had gone away from home and why she had not written to him or to anybody else in the neighbourhood � and then � and then here she started at the sound of a sudden ho � the hounds had rallied � a fox was drawn � the whole field was and with a musical blast of the horn the hunt swept on in a flash of scarlet and white black brown and grey across the gave herself up to the excitement of the hour and galloped along her magnificent mare queen of egypt sport in the wind and enjoying the wild freedom allowed her by a loose rein and the light weight she bore on on i � with the wet chill perfume of fallen leaves rising from the earth on which the eager hoofs of the horses trampled � on always on in the track of stealthy over and hollows in the ground and shallow pools fringed with gaunt and twisted � on still on crossing and re crossing lines of scent where the hounds appeared for the moment at a loss till they dashed off again towards the farther woods putting her mare to a fence and clearing it easily crossed a meadow which she knew to be the way to the spot where she could just see the pack racing silently ahead � and coming out on one of the high roads between st rest and she drew rein for a moment several of the hunters had chosen the same short cut and came out of the meadow with her calling a cheery word or two as they passed her and pressed on in the of the chase quickly her gallop and yielding to the of the air and the pleasure of movement she urged her mare to a pace which would have been deemed reckless by all save the most skilled and daring unaware of the unpleasant fact that she was being closely followed by he rode about twenty paces behind her every now and then gaining on her and anon pulling back his horse in an apparent desire not to her the rest of the hunting party were well ahead and they had the road to themselves with the exception of a fat man on a who was along in front of them looking something like a ton on wheels soon flew past this moving and even if she had had time to look at it she would not have known that it was the reverend as she had never seen that gentleman catching a glimpse of the hounds now racing round the edge of a sloping god s good man hill she galloped faster and faster � while with an odd set expression in his face and eyes and his hat well pulled down on his brows followed her at an almost equally flying speed a field lay between them and the smooth dark slope of land edged with broken where the pack could be plainly seen racing for blood a low straggling hedge such an obstacle was a mere trifle for queen of egypt to clear and put her to it with her usual ease and but now up came on his ill formed but powerful beast � and just as the spirited mare with her lightly poised rider on her back leaped the hedge he set his own animal at precisely the same place in deliberate defiance of all hunting rules and springing at her like a treacherous enemy from behind closed on her and straight over in her saddle � for one half second her blue eyes wide with terror turned themselves full upon her � she raised her hand � � in vain with a crash of breaking the mare went down under the plunging hoofs that came so heavily upon her � there was a quick shriek � a of violet and gold hurled to the ground � and then � then galloped on alone he dared not look back his nerves � his heart beat high � and his evil soul rejoiced in its wickedness as only the soul of a devil can verdict � accidental death i he muttered with a fierce laugh � no doubt it will be thought singular that the daughter should have met the same end as her father and nothing more will be said but suppose she is not killed since every cat has nine lives no matter she will be for life that will suit me just as well he laughed again and passed on in the wake of the hunt which had now swept far ahead round the bend of the hill meanwhile queen of egypt rendered stunned and dizzy by her fall began to recover her senses the air and opening her wild bright eyes she soon perceived her loved mistress lying flung about three yards distant from where she herself had rolled over and over on the thick wet of the field with a supreme effort the gallant beast attempted to rise � and presently with much plunging and kicking in which struggles however she with an almost human intelligence pushed herself farther away from that prone figure on the ground so that she might not injure it she managed to stand upright quivering in every strained god s good man sore limb lifting her head she with a melancholy long drawn and then with a slow stiff moved cautiously closer to s fallen body there she paused and again while the grey skies lowered and rain began to from the spreading leaden weight of cloud and now assistance seemed near for the reverend having had to lead his up a hill and being overcome with a melting of perspiration in the effort in sight like an up on dry land approaching the broken gap in 