by the folds of the enormous travelling-cloak,
worn—in deference to the inclemency
of a British summer—by the rider.

"An apparition so unwonted attracted
to the casements more than one comely
rustic face, usually on the broad grin; but
to none of these did that pensive traveller
vouchsafe the slightest heed, until he had
arrived opposite the very last dwelling:
an edifice half-hidden in trees, and singular
enough, in structure, having rather the
appearance of a couple of tall dovecots, placed
one upon another, with an observatory
topping all.

"I never saw so queer a wigwam!"
continued Dick, dropping the incognito.
"Although of inordinate height, it consisted of
only two floors, the lower of which might
have accommodated a cameleopard, who
had a growing family in the nursery above.

"I checked my horse, and was admiring
the simple grandeur of the building, when
a—a figure—came into view." (Dick's
voice trembled slightly, and he passed his
hand across his brow.) "You are, doubtless,
not unacquainted with that majestic
abstraction popularly known as Britannia.
Sir, if for the shirt of mail, we substitute a
woollen spencer; for the fork with three
prongs, one with two; and for the helmet a
natural diadem of fawn-coloured hair,
interspersed, for the moment, with wisps of
hay; you have before you the noble object I
am feebly endeavouring to depict.

"The hair decorations I have mentioned,
proceeded from a truss of hay which she bore
upon her shoulder, and which she flung up,
as though it had been a penny roll, in the
direction of a massive head and shoulders
which appeared at the window of an
adjacent loft.

"It was only when she turned and faced
me, that I became aware of the full
magnificence of that fair woman's proportions.
I speak of her, of course, as compared with
existing races. In brighter ages, a mere
doll, she was, now, what might not inaptly
be termed a giantess. Henry Halsewell,
that grand development was seven feet two
inches in stature!"

"Without her shoes?"

"Or stockings," replied Mr. Longchild,
solemnly; "she hadn't either. This Cornish
Britannia was, I should say, about
three-and-twenty. Her manner, sir, was easy
and dignified; and, as she dibbed the handle
of her tri—bident, I mean—into the soil,
and placing her white elbow between the
prongs, gazed at me with great calm eyes,
the size of cheese-plates, I felt my whole
being dilate and thrill, in a manner to
which I had been totally unaccustomed.

"My appearance, or that of my horse
seemed to awaken her interest.
Summoned by a graceful backward movement
of her disengaged thumb, the individual in
the loft descended and stood by her side.
He also, was (for modern times) hale and
well-grown: standing a good eight feet in
his boots.

"For a whole minute, we gazed silently
on each other. Then the male giant spake:

"'I say, mister, won't ye step in? There
an't no charge, and father's a sight bigger
nor we. He's doubled up with rheumatis'
just now, but he don't mind bein' draw'd
out for strangers.'

"'My good sir!' I replied, rather taken
aback by this address: 'By no means.
Your worthy father shall not be forcibly
straightened for me. Do not mistake a
very pardonable admiration for intrusive
curiosity. The attraction outside your
mansion is more than sufficient. May
I beg you to present me to your char—
that is, your sister? My name is
Longchild.'

"'Hern's Pettidoll.'

"I bowed, and a gracious smile widened
Britannia's lips to the extent of about a
quarter of a yard. 'Pettidoll!'

"'There's sixty foot of us in family
altogether, between eight; wi'out count o' the
baby, which, bein' only a year old, an't four
foot, yet,' remarked Mr. Pettidoll. 'But
won't ye come down for a bit?' he added,
with involuntary deference to the stature
of my steed.

"Wouldn't I come down! Ah, Harry!
What would I not have given to 'come
down;' to stand before that blessed creature;
to tell her that here, at last, was the
realisation of my dream; that, united with
her, and parent, perchance, of a line of
giants, I——But, no, no. Once dismounted,
the sense of insignificance in proximity to
proportions so vast, would be too strong for
me. One single moment, I hesitated. I even
disengaged my right foot, preparatory to
coming down, but my heart failed. I
flung all the passion that was seething in
my soul, into one look, and rode hastily
away. But, sir, that look had been
returned! She loved. Britannia loved me!

"Turning an angle in the road, I glanced
back. She was immovable; leaning on her
bident; her eyes (plainly visible even at
that distance) still fixed on my retreating
form."

"And that is the end of the story?"