do!" said I.

"Hold on to the hat-box, then, and don't tumble out."

Down we went. The carriage swayed from side to side; I sat with my arms
tightly clasped round the hat-box, and felt as if I were flying straight
down on to the church-tower. It was delightful, but I noticed that Jack
did not speak till we reached the foot of the hill. Then he said, "Well,
that's a blessing! I never thought we should get safe to the bottom."

"Then why did you drive so fast?" I inquired.

"My dear Margery, there's no drag on this carriage; and when I'd once
given Neddy his head he couldn't stop himself, no more could I. But he's
a plucky, sure-footed little beast; and I shall walk up this hill out of
respect for him."

I resolved to do the same, and clambered out, leaving the hat-box on the
seat. I went up to Jack, who was patting Neddy's neck, on which he stuck
out his right arm, and said, "Link!"

"What?" said I.

"Link," said Jack; and as he stuck out his elbow again in an
unmistakable fashion, I took his arm.

"We call that linking, in these parts," said Jack. "Good-evening, Mrs.
Loxley. Good-evening, Peter. Thank you, thank you. I'm very glad to get
home too--I should think not!" These sentences were replies to the warm
greetings Jack received from the cottage-doors; the last to the remark,
"You don't find a many places to beat t'ould one, sir, I expect!"

"I'm very popular in the village," said my eccentric companion, with a
sigh, as we turned into the drive. "Though I say it that shouldn't, you
think? Well! _Ita vita. Such is life's half circle_. Do you know
Leadbetter? That's the way he construed it."

"I know you all talk in riddles," said I.

"Well, never mind; you'll know Leadbetter, and all the old books in the
house by and by. Plenty of 'em, aren't there? The governor had a curate
once, when his throat was bad. _He_ said it was an Entertaining Library
of Useless Knowledge. I've brought home one more volume to add to it.
Second prize for chemistry. Only three fellows went in for it; which you
needn't allude to at head-quarters;" and he sighed again.

As we passed slowly under the shadow of the heavy foliage, Jack, like
Eleanor, put up his left arm to drag down a bunch of roses. They were
further advanced now, and the shower of rose-leaves fell thickly like
snowflakes over us--over Jack and me, and Neddy and the carriage, with
the hat-box on the driving seat. We must have looked very queer, I
think, as we came