n to
ride, and her maid to be carried behind one of your men, by which
means they would travel more than twice as fast as they would do,
if encumbered by the carriage. The baron said that he would spare
no pains to get home as quickly as possible, and would send a man
on, some hours ahead of him, to see that fresh horses were in
readiness for the whole party at each town they came to."

"Now tell me all about it, Desmond. I feel another man. Your good
news, and a long night's sleep, have done wonders for me. Now,
please tell me all about the affair."

Seeing that Philip was so much stronger that he could hear,
without being overexcited, the story of the rescue, Desmond
related all the details to him.

"You have indeed done wonders," Philip said. "You do not seem to
know what fatigue is. How strange that you, whose name I had never
heard until ten days back, should have rendered to Baron
Pointdexter and myself two such inestimable services.

"And so, after all your exertions and fatigue, you have been
keeping watch at my bedside all night?"

"I am ashamed to say that I have not been keeping watch, Philip,"
Desmond replied with a smile. "I had intended to, but you were
sleeping so quietly, and everything was so still, that I went off
and slept, as soundly as you have done, until within half an hour
of the time when you opened your eyes; but I am sure that I should
have awoke at once, had you moved."

"Then I am glad that I did not move, Desmond, for you must sorely
need a long sleep, after having passed three days and almost three
nights in the saddle."

The surgeons now arrived, and were delighted at the change that
had taken place in their patient.

"And when shall I be fit to travel, doctor?"

"Ah, well, we will talk of that in another fortnight's time. You
need absolute quiet, for were you to move, before your wound is
fairly healed, inflammation might set in, and that would throw you
back for a very long time. You have had a very narrow escape, and
you are fortunate, indeed, to have got off with only a trifling
detention."

"But I might be carried in a horse litter?"

"Certainly not, at present," the surgeon said decidedly.
"Possibly, in ten days, you might without danger be so carried,
providing they take you in short stages and with easy-paced
horses; but I should say that it would be still better, were you
to be carried on men's shoulders. There is never any difficulty in
hiring men, and you could