r. Brook's carriage
had been sent for in readiness, immediately the possibility of his being
found alive had appeared; and that gentleman insisted upon Mrs. Haden
being lifted into it, and upon Jack taking his seat beside her to
support her. He then followed, and, amidst the cheers of the crowd,
started for Stokebridge.

Mrs. Haden recovered before reaching the village; and leaving her and
Jack at their home, with an intimation that the carriage would come at
an early hour next morning to fetch the latter up to the hall, Mr. Brook
drove off alone.

That afternoon was a proud day for Bill Haden and his wife, but a trying
one for Jack.

Every one in the place who had the slightest knowledge of him called to
shake his hand and congratulate him on his promotion, his friends of
boyhood first among them. Harry was one of the earliest comers, and
tears fell down the cheeks of both as they clasped hands in silent joy
at their reunion. Not a word was spoken or needed.

"Go round to Nelly," Jack said in an undertone as other visitors
arrived; "tell her I will come in and see her at seven o'clock. Come
again yourself before that, let us three meet together again."

So quickly did the callers press in that the little room could not hold
them; and Jack had to go to the front door, there to shake hands and say
a word to all who wanted to see him. It was quite a levee, and it was
only the fact that the gloom of a terrible calamity hung over
Stokebridge that prevented the demonstration being noisy as well as
enthusiastic.

By six o'clock all his friends had seen him, and Jack sat down with Bill
Haden and his wife. Then Jane Haden's feelings relieved themselves by a
copious flood of tears; and Bill himself, though he reproached her for
crying on such an occasion, did so in a husky voice.

"Thou art going to leave us, Jack," Jane Haden said; "and though we
shall miss thee sorely, thou mustn't go to think that Bill or me be
sorry at the good fortune that be come upon you. Thou hast been a son,
and a good son to us, and ha' never given so much as a day's trouble. I
know'd as how you'd leave us sooner or later. There was sure to be a
time when all the larning thou hast worked so hard to get would bring
thee to fortune, but I didn't think 'twould come so soon."

Bill Haden removed from his lips the pipe--which, in his endeavour to
make up for loss of time, he had smoked without ceasing from the moment
of his rescue--and grunted an