s so frail and ethereal in build that
when she faints away, under a stress of emotion, the hero gathers her
lovely form in his arms and carries her for a couple of miles with
delightful ease; but Mollie Farrell was a healthy, well-grown girl; and
for one agonising moment it appeared as if the sequel to the adventure
was to be an ignominious tumble to the ground of rescuer and rescued.

The moment passed, the groom steadied himself with an involuntary
"Whoa!" and Mollie turned to confront her friends, swaying painfully to
and fro, with crossed hands pressing against each shoulder.

"Oh, my arms! my arms! They are torn out of their sockets! I know they
are! The pain is really hideous!"

"What happened? How did you manage to perform such an acrobatic feat?"
cried Jack, now that anxiety was appeased, unable to resist a smile at
the remembrance of the pretty, comical picture, and the undignified
descent to the ground; but Mollie snapped him up sharply, her sense of
humour absolutely eclipsed by the pain she was suffering.

"It wasn't a feat! I saw the bough before me and I thought I should be
killed, and I put out my hands to save myself and--I don't know how it
happened; but the next moment that horrid, wicked animal slipped from
under me, and my arms were jerked nearly out of my body, and I was left
dangling in mid-air. It's perfectly hateful of you all to stand there
and laugh! I might have been killed outright if it hadn't been for
Bates."

"You were only a yard or so from the ground; you could have dropped down
yourself without making a fuss. I kept my seat at any rate, and I
didn't howl half so loudly!" said Ruth self-righteously. "What made you
do anything so mad as to ride in among all those trees?"

"I didn't! It was the horse; he would go, whatever I did," protested
Mollie feebly: whereupon Bates shook his head with solemn disapproval.

"We've got to be very thankful as matters is no worse," said the alarmed
groom. "I shall have a fine lecturing from the squire when he hears of
this, but you will bear me witness as it was against my wishes. If I'd
had my way you would never have ventured off by yourselves, for another
week at least, but there was no gainsaying you. I'm thinking you'll
have had about enough lesson for to-day, and I must look after those
horses. To-morrow--"

"To-morrow we'll be good and docile, and do as you tell us. My nerves
are too shaken to be disobedient; but don't be afr