etched enough--she who had always been so well sheltered
from every blast. Now and then mud and water would fly up into her
face--striking usually in the eyes or mouth--and then again her horse
would stumble and almost throw her over his head, as he sank, knee
deep, into some unexpected hole. All of this, with the thousand and
one noises that broke the still worse silence of the inky night soon
began to work upon her nerves and make her fearful. The road was full
of dangers aside from stumbling horses and broken necks, for many
were the stories of murder and robbery committed along the route they
were traveling. It is true they had two stout men, and all were armed,
yet they might easily come upon a party too strong for them; and no
one could tell what might happen, thought the princess. There was that
pitchy darkness through which she could hardly see her horse's head--a
thing of itself that seemed to have infinite powers for mischief, and
which no amount of argument ever induced any normally constituted
woman to believe was the mere negative absence of light, and not a
terrible entity potent for all sorts of mischief. Then that wailing
howl that rose and fell betimes; no wind ever made such a noise she
felt sure. There were those shining white gleams which came from the
little pools of water on the road, looking like dead men's faces
upturned and pale; perhaps they were water and perhaps they were not.
Mary had all confidence in Brandon, but that very fact operated
against her. Having that confidence and trust in him, she felt no need
to waste her own energy in being brave; so she relaxed completely, and
had the feminine satisfaction of allowing herself to be thoroughly
frightened.

Is it any wonder Mary's gallant but womanly spirit sank low in the
face of all those terrors? She held out bravely, however, and an
occasional clasp from Brandon's hand under cover of the darkness
comforted her. When all those terrors would not suggest even a
thought of turning back, you may judge of the character of this girl
and her motive.

They traveled on, galloping when they could, trotting when they could
not gallop, and walking when they must.

At one time they thought they heard the sound of following horses, and
hastened on as fast as they dared go, until, stopping to listen and
hearing nothing, they concluded they were wrong. About eleven o'clock,
however, right out of the black bank of night in front of them they
heard, in