e, when the ruffians rushed out upon
her. There was a faint scream, a momentary struggle, and she lay on
the ground at their feet. Their backs were turned towards me. During
the noise of the scuffle, my footsteps were unheard, and I was close
to them before they were aware.

"Silence! or I'll settle you!" said one of the robbers to his almost
unconscious victim; whom, with all the coolness of fancied security,
he was beginning to plunder. I dashed the stone I held in my hand into
his face, and he fell senseless to the ground, with a heavy groan,
while I shouted at the same time, as if addressing some one behind me,
"Now, Harry, blow the other rascal's brains out." The other _rascal_,
however, did not wait to see the result. He was over the hedge in a
moment, and running for bare life. I pretended to follow him, shouting
aloud till he disappeared into the next enclosure. I then returned to
the road, where I found the man still lying senseless, though
breathing heavily. I took the handkerchief from his neck and bound his
hands together; and tearing the crape from his face, I took a long and
steady look at his features, that I might be able to swear to his
identity, if necessary. The lady, who was fortunately unhurt, and had
by this time recovered from her alarm, overwhelmed me with
acknowledgments, which I parried as well as I was able; and I
endeavoured to turn her thoughts into another channel, by requesting
her to look at the face of the senseless man. After a little
hesitation, she did so, and immediately recognised him as an old
servant of her father's--a worthless vagabond, who had been discharged
for theft, and had vowed revenge. Hitherto I had had little time to
take any particular notice of the appearance of the lady I had been so
fortunate as to rescue. I had merely remarked the grace of her form,
and the soft, sweet tone of her voice; but now that I had leisure to
look at her features, as the moonbeam rested brightly upon them, I was
struck with their beauty: I felt, as Byron has it,

"My sinking heart confess
The might, the majesty of loveliness."

I gladly offered to escort her to her home, which, she said, was only
about half-a-mile distant, and where we could procure assistance to
remove the still insensible footpad. Before we set off, however, I
took the liberty of securing his pistols, which could be of no service
to him in his present state, but might materially benefit us. After a
sh