!"

"I assure you, Miss Brentwood, that it is not a fit place for a lady."

"Why not?"

Cecil blushed scarlet. If women only knew what awkward questions they
ask sometimes! In this instance he made an ass of himself, for he
hesitated and stammered.

"Come along!" said she; "you are going to say that it is
dangerous--(nothing was further from his thoughts); I must learn to
face a little danger, you know. Come along."

"I am afraid," said Cecil, "that Jim will be very angry with me;" which
was undoubtedly very likely.

"Never mind Jim," she said; "come along."

So they went, and in the rush and confusion of the beasts' feet got to
the yard unnoticed. Sam and Jim were inside, and Halbert was perched
upon the rails; she came close behind him and peeped through.

She was frightened. Close before her was Sam, hatless, in shirt and
breeches only, almost unrecognisable, grimed with sweat, dust, and
filth beyond description. He had been nearly horned that morning, and
his shirt was torn from his armpit downwards, showing rather more of a
lean muscular flank than would have been desirable in a drawing-room.
He stood there with his legs wide apart, and a stick about eight feet
long and as thick as one's wrist in his hand; while before him, crowded
into a corner of the yard, were a mob of infuriated, terrified cattle.
As she watched, one tried to push past him and get out of the yard; he
stepped aside and let it go. The next instant a lordly young bull tried
the same game, but he was "wanted;" so, just as he came nearly abreast
of Sam, he received a frightful blow on the nose from the stick, which
turned him.

But only for a moment. The maddened beast shaking his head with a roar
rushed upon Sam like a thunderbolt, driving him towards the side of the
yard. He stepped on one side rapidly, and then tumbled himself bodily
through the rails, and fell with his fine brown curls in the dust,
right at the feet of poor Alice, who would have screamed, but could not
find the voice.

Jim and Halbert roared with laughter, and Sam, picking himself up, was
beginning to join as loud as anybody, when he saw Alice looking very
white and pale, and went towards her.

"I hope you haven't been frightened by that evildisposed bull, Miss
Brentwood," he said pleasantly; "you must get used to that sort of
work."

"Hallo, sister!" shouted Jim; "what the deuce brings you here? I
thought you were at home at your worsted work. You should have se