he top of which is perched the well-known milestone, and my cousin
began already to complain of fatigue, the sound of hoofs behind us
caused us both to stop and look round.

"It's cavalry," said Amelia, who jumps rather rapidly to conclusions,
and is no judge of a horse.

"It's a stud," was my reply; "somebody coming to hunt with 'the
Heavy-top.' Let's stand in this gateway and see them pass." We took up
a position accordingly; and if I felt keen about the commencement of
the season previously, how much more so did I become to watch the
string of gallant well-bred horses now jogging quietly towards us with
all the paraphernalia and accessories of the chase!

Two, four, six, and a hack, all clothed and hooded, and packed for
travelling. Such a chestnut in the van, with a minute boy on him, who
cannot have weighed four stone; strong, flat, sinewy legs (the
chestnut's, not the boy's), hocks and thighs clean, full, and muscular
as Brilliant's, only twice the size; a long, square tail, and a wicked
eye. How I _should_ like to ride that chestnut! Then a brown and two
bays, one of the latter scarcely big enough for a hunter, to my fancy,
but apparently as thoroughbred as Eclipse; then a gray, who seemed to
have a strong objection to being led, and who held back and dragged at
his rein in a most provoking manner; and lastly, by the side of a
brown hack that I fancied I had seen before, a beautiful black horse,
the very impersonation of strength, symmetry, courage, speed, and all
that a horse should be.

"Ask the groom whose they are," whispered Amelia as he went by. "I
don't quite like to speak to him; he looks an impudent fellow with
those dark whiskers."

I should like to see the whiskers that would frighten _me_; so I
stepped boldly out into the road, and accosted him at once.

"Whose horses are those, my man?" I asked, with my most commanding
air.

"Captain Lovell's, miss," was the reply. My heart jumped into my
mouth, and you might have knocked me down with a feather.

"Captain Lovell's!" exclaimed Amelia; "why, that's your old flirt,
Kate. I see it all now." But I hardly heard her, and when I looked up
the horses were a mile off, and we were retracing our steps towards
Dangerfield Hall.

What a happy day this has been, and how unpromising was its beginning!
And yet I don't know why I should have been so happy. After all, there
is nothing extraordinary in Captain Lovell's sending down a stud of
horses to hunt w