o dwelling of man had since presented itself to him,
though the sun was now low in the western sky. Under ordinary
circumstances this would have been of little consequence, for he had
already spent more than one night in the open air without discomfort;
but his attendant had heard a distant muttering of thunder, and John
Stacy was not the lad to encounter without murmuring a night of storm
unsheltered. John's anxiety made him keen-sighted, and he was the first
to perceive and announce the approach of a rider. We use the neutral
term _rider_ not without consideration, for he was one in whom a certain
ease of manner, and even an air of command, contradicted the testimony
of habiliments made and worn after a fashion recognized nowhere as
characteristic of the _genus_ gentleman. A courteous inquiry from Horace
Danforth respecting the nearest place at which a night's shelter might
be obtained, led to a cordial invitation to him to return with him to
his own house. It was an invitation not to be disregarded under existing
circumstances, and it was accepted with evident pleasure both by master
and man.

Mr. Grahame, for so the new-comer had announced himself, led the way
back for a short distance over the route just pursued by our travellers,
and then striking off to the left, rode briskly forward for several
miles. The light gray clouds which had long been gathering in the
western sky had deepened into blackness as they proceeded, and flashes
of lightning were darting across their path, and large drops of rain
were falling upon them when they neared a house constructed of logs, yet
bearing some evidence of taste in the grounds around it, as well as in
its position, which was on the side of a gently sloping hill, looking
out upon a landscape through which wound a clear and rapid, though
narrow stream.

"Like good cavaliers, we will see our horses housed first," said Mr.
Grahame, riding past the main building to one of the out-houses, built
also of logs, which served as a stable. Here Horace Danforth
relinquished his tired steed to the care of John Stacy, and Mr. Grahame
having himself rubbed down his own beautiful animal, and thrown a bundle
of hay before him, with a slight apology to his visitor for the
detention, led the way into the house. As they entered the vacant parlor
a shade of something like dissatisfaction passed over the master's
countenance, and having seen his guest seated by a huge fireplace, whose
cheerful bl