nt in everything,
like the air and the light; and now she was gone, it seemed as if all
pleasure had lost its vehicle: the sky, the earth, the daily ride, the
daily talk might be there, but the loveliness and the joy that were in
them had gone for ever.

Presently, as he still paced backwards and forwards, he heard steps along
the corridor, and there was a knock at his door. His voice trembled as he
said 'Come in', and the rush of renewed hope was hardly distinguishable
from pain when he saw Warren enter with Daniel Knott behind him.

'Knott is come, sir, with news of Miss Sarti. I thought it best to bring
him to you first.'

Mr. Gilfil could not help going up to the old coachman and wringing his
hand; but he was unable to speak, and only motioned to him to take a
chair, while Warren left the room. He hung upon Daniel's moon-face, and
listened to his small piping voice, with the same solemn yearning
expectation with which he would have given ear to the most awful
messenger from the land of shades.

'It war Dorkis, sir, would hev me come; but we knowed nothin' o' what's
happened at the Manor. She's frightened out on her wits about Miss Sarti,
an' she would hev me saddle Blackbird this mornin', an' leave the
ploughin', to come an' let Sir Christifer an' my lady know. P'raps you've
heared, sir, we don't keep the Cross Keys at Sloppeter now; a uncle o'
mine died three 'ear ago, an' left me a leggicy. He was bailiff to Squire
Ramble, as hed them there big farms on his hans; an' so we took a little
farm o' forty acres or thereabouts, becos Dorkis didn't like the public
when she got moithered wi' children. As pritty a place as iver you see,
sir, wi' water at the back convenent for the cattle.'

'For God's sake,' said Maynard, 'tell me what it is about Miss Sarti.
Don't stay to tell me anything else now.'

'Well, sir,' said Knott, rather frightened by the parson's vehemence,
'she come t' our house i' the carrier's cart o' Wednesday, when it was
welly nine o'clock at night; and Dorkis run out, for she heared the cart
stop, an' Miss Sarti throwed her arms roun' Dorkis's neck an' says, "Tek
me in, Dorkis, tek me in," an' went off into a swoond, like. An' Dorkis
calls out to me,--"Dannel," she calls--an' I run out and carried the
young miss in, an' she come roun' arter a hit, an' opened her eyes, and
Dorkis got her to drink a spoonful o' rum-an'-water--we've got some
capital rum as we brought from the Cross Keys, and Dorkis w