which the brown-foaming mountain river fell and made a deep pool,
and, after resting there for a while, ran on between broken rocks
down to the valley below. The waterfall was magnificent, as she had
anticipated; she longed to extend her walk to the other side of the
stream, so she sought the stepping-stones, the usual crossing-place,
which were over-shadowed by trees, a few yards from the pool. The
waters ran high and rapidly, as busy as life, between the pieces of
grey rock; but Ruth had no fear, and went lightly and steadily on.
About the middle, however, there was a great gap; either one of the
stones was so covered with water as to be invisible, or it had been
washed lower down; at any rate, the spring from stone to stone was
long, and Ruth hesitated for a moment before taking it. The sound of
rushing waters was in her ears to the exclusion of every other noise;
her eyes were on the current running swiftly below her feet; and
thus she was startled to see a figure close before her on one of the
stones, and to hear a voice offering help.

She looked up and saw a man, who was apparently long past middle
life, and of the stature of a dwarf; a second glance accounted for
the low height of the speaker, for then she saw he was deformed. As
the consciousness of this infirmity came into her mind, it must have
told itself in her softened eyes, for a faint flush of colour came
into the pale face of the deformed gentleman, as he repeated his
words:

"The water is very rapid; will you take my hand? Perhaps I can help
you."

Ruth accepted the offer, and with this assistance she was across in
a moment. He made way for her to precede him in the narrow wood path,
and then silently followed her up the glen.

When they had passed out of the wood into the pasture-land beyond,
Ruth once more turned to mark him. She was struck afresh with
the mild beauty of the face, though there was something in the
countenance which told of the body's deformity, something more and
beyond the pallor of habitual ill-health, something of a quick
spiritual light in the deep set-eyes, a sensibility about the mouth;
but altogether, though a peculiar, it was a most attractive face.

"Will you allow me to accompany you if you are going the round by
Cwm Dhu, as I imagine you are? The hand-rail is blown away from the
little wooden bridge by the storm last night, and the rush of waters
below may make you dizzy; and it is really dangerous to fall there,
t