perhaps to hide the moisture which had
sprung to her eyes. For she understood more of the case than Daisy's few
words would have told most people.

Meantime Capt. Drummond and his frisky horse had a ride which was likely
to make both of them remember that thunderstorm. They reached Dr.
Sandford's house; but then the Captain found that the doctor was not at
home; where he was, the servant could not say. The only other thing to
do seemed to be to go on to Melbourne and at least let Daisy have the
counsel of her father and mother. To Melbourne the Captain drove as fast
as his horse's state of mind would permit.

The drawing room was blazing with lights as usual, and full of talkers.

"Hollo!" cried Gary McFarlane, as the Captain entered,--"here he is. We
had given you up for a fossil, Drummond--and no idea of your turning up
again for another thousand years. Shouldn't have known where to look
for you either, after this storm--among the aqueous or the igneous
rocks. Glad to see you! Let me make you acquainted with Dr. Sandford."

"I am glad to see you, sir," said the Captain involuntarily, as he shook
hands with this latter.

"You haven't left Daisy somewhere, changed into a stone lily?" pursued
McFarlane.

"Yes," said the Captain. "Dr. Sandford, I am going to ask you to get
ready to ride with me. Mr. Randolph, I have left Daisy by the way. She
has hurt her foot--I threw down a stone upon it--and the storm obliged
her to defer getting home. I left her at a cottage near Crum Elbow. I am
going to take Dr. Sandford to see what the foot wants."

Mr. Randolph ordered the carriage, and then told his wife.

"Does it storm yet?" she asked.

"The thunder and lightning are ceasing, but it rains hard."

The lady stepped out of the room to get ready, and in a few minutes she
and her husband, Capt. Drummond and the doctor, were seated in the
carriage and on their way to Mrs. Benoit's cottage. Capt. Drummond told
how the accident happened; after that he was silent; and so were the
rest of the party, till the carriage stopped.

Mrs. Benoit's cottage looked oddly, when all these grand people poured
into it. But the mistress of the cottage never looked more like herself,
and her reception of the grand people was as simple as that she had
given to Daisy. Little Daisy herself lay just where her friend the
Captain had left her, but looked with curious expression at the others
who entered with him now. The father and mother advance