THE ROMANCE OF WALLIS COURT.

Patea Mail, Volume IX, Issue 1089, 21 September 1883, Page 4

THE ROMANCE OF WALLIS COURT.

LITERATURE.

{Continued.) The scene was very picturesque, and I forgot Bolter in order to gaze at it. He took a mean adAantage of my weakness, .and showed signs of becoming unmanageable. There was nothing in front of us but this long white road, and one solitary figure of a man, somewhat ahead. As we neared him, I could see that he had a pair of skates slung on his shoulder. Then Bolter became fearfully obstreperous, Martin became alarmed, and the man turned round and saw us. He made one plunge at the horse’s bead just in time to prevents catastrophe. This had not come within Bolter’s calculation, and he suddenly Stood quite still. The stranger looked at me and lifted his hat, and then looked at Martin, and at the trap and horse, without saying one word. I whs gazing at him. It then struck me that he had done a very courageous thing, and” I thanked him for it, and said I thought tile ; horse was all right now, and that 1 had better go on. ‘ Will you allow me to accompany you a little way, in case he becomes troublesome again ?’ asked the stranger. I looked at him for u minute without answering. Such an offer had never occurred to me. Ho saw that .I.hesitated, and said—* Yon will be conferring a great kindness on me, for I have an important appointment, and fear I am ratlier late. I hoped 1 should meet some trap coming along, when I perceived yours, and meant to ask for a lift.’

Aftqr this a refusal was impossible. ‘ Very well,’ said I rather ungraciously, and he tried to jump up, but Bolter began to be restless again, and this was not so easily accomplished. He, the stranger, danced about the roadj with one foot on the step and ' the other in the snow, and I felt inclined t® give vent to an, almost uncontrollable fit of laughter, hut I thought he might be offended ; and at last, seizing a propitious moment, I held out my hand to him, instinctively, and he landed at last by my side. Martin scrambled up behind .again, and off we went. Not a word passed between us for some time. The horse became very restive again, and seemed determined either to run away or tumble down. Quiet driving along, the road did not seem to fit his present excitable stale. ‘I don’t think yon can manage a brute like that,’ said my companion; 1 let me take the reins.’ , ‘ He will be all right presently,’ said I, laconically. ‘ No, he won’t, said he, just as Bolter made another start, and without another word he took the reins gently oat of my hands. ‘ Whip,’ he added. I handed it to him without a word. ‘ Hold ob,’ he then said, and he lashed and thrashed the horse until his arm must have ached. Bolter, after recovering from his astonishment, became perfectly quiet, nnd we drove on silently. ' Where shall I drive to ?’ said my new friend,- when he reached town. * I am going for a- doctor,’ said I; I can manage him now, and I should not like you to miss your appointment through me.’ He took out his watch quickly, gave a sort’of gasp, and exclaiming something abont being late, he handed me back the reinsj looked hard at my face, put out his. hand, which I mechanically took, shook hands with me warmly, lifted his hat and’ disappeared. I drove on to the doctor’s bouse, and told him I wanted him at the court immediately to see. Miss Marcbmont; he said he was ready to'go back with me as soon as Bolter had rested a bit. The journey home was easy enough; Bolter was subdued. I told the doctor all T could abont Miss 'Marchm'oht, and 'then we lapsed into silence. Imnst own t hat I was pre-occupied all the time with thinking of the strange companion I had picked up, and I wondered, nay hoped, I should see him again. Dr Matthews remained all night. Miss Marchmont recovered in a few weeks, and all went smoothly again as before. I tried the effect of asking if I might 'go once to Thornton Pool, not thinking for one moment that my wish wonld be granted ; and, to. my astonishment, aunt Belle allowed Miss Marcbmont t,Q: persuade her to give her consent, and to my great delight Parkins, our antiquated maid and I drove off together, and arranged to walk back. I own that I wished to: see my friend again, but if. he were on the ice the chances were against my seeing him, as it was very full. I skated away for some time, feeling very charmed at being among, a lot, of people for the first time in my life, and feeling very independent. It was just beginning., to get dusk, and many skaters had left, the ice, I was now better able to- skim along at a swift pace, and was racing round the edge of the pool when I heard a shout .behind, me, and in a moment a figure had dashed np to me, seized me by the band, and made me whirl round in a different direction

We stopped as soon as it was possible, and my friend—for it was he—let go my hand, and lifting bis hat, said—- * What a very reckless person you are, to be sure!’

X was panting and astonished, and could not.speak at once. ‘ Did yon not see,' said he, ‘ that you were skating straight away on to forbidden ice, and that another moment and yon would have gone in ?’ This, of course, I had not known; it shocked me a good deal, and I began to tremble, and felt myself turned pale. ‘ Come along with me/ said my companion, ‘yon must sit down now for a little and he led me to a chair near the bank. Without saying a word, he knelt down and took off rny skates; then he made rne get up again, and led me into a tenjt, where he made me drink a cup of hot tea. He asked me if I was

there alone, and on my telling him that I had my maid with me, and that I had left her in a little tent on the other side of the pool, he said he would take me to her. {To he Continued.)