Year: 1861


bowed forward. l could not hit the place
where the coin lay | could see it. but
could not guide my fingers to it. Still
did not yield / got some of the money
up. and the stable boy, who was very Of
fcious in assisting me, gave me one OF
two pieces-to this day, don't know how
many lie kept. l cast Lasty glance
around, and seeing no more 6 Id on the
ground, raised myself by a desperate eff
fort and scrambled to my place in the car
riage. ] shook the reins iustinctiyely, and
the mare began to move.


The well trained beast was beginning to
trot away as cleverly as usual, when a
thought suddenly flashed into my brain, as
will sometimes happen when we are just
going to sleep, though ght which woke me
| up like pistol shot, and caused me TO
spring forward and gather up the rains so
violently as to almost bring the mare back
upon her launches. ....a


My dog, my dear little Nelly l had
left her behind


To abandon my little favorte was a
thing that never entered my head. No.
must return. | must 90 back to the hor-
rible place | have just escaped from. He
has seen my gold too, said to myself as
| turned my horses head with many clum-
! sy efforts the men who were drinking in
the auberge are gone, and what is worse
than all, feel more than ever under
the influence of the drug I have swallow
| cd.


As | approached the auberge once more
remember that the walls looked blacker
than ever, that the rain was falling more
heavily, that the landlord and lhe stable
boy were on the steps Of the inn evidently
on the lookout for me. One thing more
noticed-on the road small speck, as of
some vehicle nearing the inn.


came back for my dog, said |.
| | know nothing Of your deg.


1t is false. left her shut up in the in
ner room.


Go there and find her then, retorted the
n an, throwing off all disguise.


! will.


| I knew it was trap to get NE into the
house; | knew was lost if | entered it !;
but did not care; | descended from the
carriage, clambered up the steps with the
aid of the balusters, | heard the barking of
my little Nelly as I passed through the
outer room, and approached the glass
doors, stead ying myself as l went by the
articles of furniture in the room. ! burst
open the door, and my favorite bounded
| into my arms.


And now | felt that it was too late.
As [ approached the door that led into the
road I saw my carriage being led round to
the back of the house, and the form Of the
landlord appeared in the doorway blocking
up the passage. / made an effort to push
past him, but it was useless. My little
Nelly fell cut of my arms on the steps out
side and fell without sense or knowl-
edge.


y x i


1t was dark, gentlemen-dark and very
cold. The little patch of sky | was look
ing up at had in it a marvellous number o.
stars. which would have looked bright but
for "a blazing planet which seemed tc
eclipse, III tie absence of the moon, all the
other luminaries round about it. To lie
thus was, in spite of the cold, quite lux
urious sensation. As turned my head to
ease it little (for it seemed to have been
in this position some time, } I felt stiff
and weak. At this moment, too, I felt a
stirring close beside me, and at first cold
nose touching my hand, and then hot
tongue licking it. As to my other sensa-
tions, | was aware of a gentle rumbline
sound, and l could feel that was being
carried slowly along. aad that every now
and then there was slight jolt one Of
which perhaps, more marked than the rest,
might be the cause of my being awake al
all


Presently other matters began to dawn
upon my mind through the medium of my
senses. could see the regular movement
of a horses ears, walking in front OF me
surely saw, too, part of the figure of a
mana pair of sturdy shoulders, the hood
of coat, and head with wide-awake
hat upon it, | could hear tho occasional
sounds of encouragement which seemed te
emanate from this figure, and which were
addressed to the horse. | could hear the
tinkling of the bells upon the animals
neck. Surely, too, I heard a rumbling
sound behind US, and the tread of horses
feet-as if there was another vehicle fol
lowing close upon US. Was there any
thing more? Yes, in the distance | was
able to detect the twinkling of a light ol
two, as if q town were not far off.


Now, Gentlemen, as lay and observed
all these things, there was such languol
shed over my spirits, such sense of ut
ter but not unpleasant weakness, that
hardly cared to ask myself what it al
meant, Or to inquire where | was or how
| came there. A conviction that all was
well with me, lay like an anody neupon my
heart, and it was only slowly and grad
ualiy that any curiosity as to bow came
to be SO, developed itself in my brain.
dare say we bad been jogging along for s
quarter of an hour, during which l hac
been perfectly conscious, before l strug
gled up into sitting posture, and recog
nized the hooded back of the man at the
horses bead. rF#t


Dufay? -H raiE 7Hs. aer


The man with the hooded coat who wa
walking by the side of the horse, sudden
ly cried out Wo in sturdy voice; theI
Al L e IL