reading there more care and trouble than she
would betray by words. She went on:

"We shall write often to one another, and I
will promise—for I see it will set your mind at
ease to tell you every worry I have. Papa
is"— she started a little, a hardly visible
start—but Frederick felt the sudden motion
of the hand he held, and turned his full face
to the road, along which a horseman was
slowly riding, just passing the very stile
where they stood. Margaret bowed; her bow
was stiffly returned.

"Who is that?" said Frederick, almost
before he was out of hearing.

Margaret was a little drooping, a little
flushed, as she replied:"Mr. Thornton; you
saw him before, you know."

"Only his back. He is an unprepossessing-
looking fellow. What a scowl he has!"

"Something has happened to vex him,"
said Margaret, apologetically."You would
not have thought him unprepossessing
if you had seen him with mamma."

"I fancy it must be time to go and take
my ticket. If I had known how dark it
would be, we wouldn't have sent back the
cab, Margaret."

"Oh, don't fidget about that. I can take a
cab here, if I like; or go back by the
railroad, when I should have shops and people
and lamps all the way from the Milton
station-house. Don't think of me; take care
of yourself. I am sick with the thought that
Leonards may be in the same train with
you. Look well into the carriage before
you get in."

They went back to the station. Margaret
insisted upon going into the full light of the
flaring gas inside to take the ticket. Some
idle-looking young men were lounging about
with the station-master. Margaret thought
she had seen the face of one of them before,
and returned him a proud, look of offended
dignity for his somewhat impertinent stare
of undisguised admiration. She went hastily
to her brother, who was standing outside, and
took hold of his arm."Have you got your
bag? Let us walk about here on the
platform," said she, a little flurried at the idea of
so soon being left alone, and her bravery
oozing out rather faster than she liked to
acknowledge even to herself. She heard a
step following them along the flags; it stopped
when they stopped, looking out along the
line and hearing the whizz of the coming
train. They did not speak; their hearts were
too full. Another moment, and the train
would be here; a minute more, and he would
be gone. Margaret almost repented the
urgency with which she had entreated him to
go to London; it was throwing more chances
of detection in his way. If he had sailed for
Spain by Liverpool, he might have been off in
two or three hours.

Frederick turned round, right facing the
lamp, where the gas darted up in vivid anticipation
of the train, A man in the dress of
a railway porter started forward; a bad-
looking man who seemed to have drunk
himself into a state of brutality, although his
senses were in perfect order.

"By your leave, miss!"said he, pushing
Margaret rudely on one side, and seizing
Frederick by the collar.

"Your name is Hale, I believe?"

In an instant—how, Margaret did not see,
for every thing danced before her eyes—but
by some sleight of wrestling, Frederick had
tripped him up, and he fell from the height of
three or four feet, which the platform was
elevated above the space of soft ground, by
the side of the railroad. There he lay.

"Run, run!" gasped Margaret. "The
train is here. It was Leonards, was it? oh,
run! I will carry your bag."And she took
him by the arm to push him along with all her
feeble choice. A door was opened in a carriage
—he jumped in; and as he leant out to say,
"God bless you, Margaret!" the train rushed
past her; and she was left standing alone.
She was so terribly sick and faint that she
was thankful to be able to turn into the
ladies' waiting-room, and sit down for an
instant. At first she could do nothing but
gasp for breath. It was such a hurry; such
a sickening alarm; such a near chance. If the
train had not been there at the moment the
man would have jumped up again and called
for assistance to arrest him. She wondered
if the man had got up: she tried to remember
if she had seen him move; she wondered if
he could have been seriously hurt. She
ventured out; the platform was all alight, but
still quite deserted; she went to the end, and
looked over, somewhat fearfully. No one
was there; and then she was glad she had
made herself go, and inspect, for otherwise
terrible thoughts would have haunted her
dreams. And even as it was, she was so
trembling and affrighted that she felt she
could not walk home along the road, which
did indeed seem lonely and dark, as she gazed
down upon it from the blaze of the station.
She would wait till the down train passed
and take her seat in it. But what if
Leonards recognised her as Frederick's
companion! She peered about before venturing
into the booking-office to take her ticket.
There were only some railway officials standing
about; and talking loud to one another.

"So Leonards has been drinking again!"
said one, seemingly in authority."He'll
need all his boasted influence to keep his
place this time."

"Where is he?" asked another, while
Margaret, her back towards them, was
counting her change with trembling fingers,
not daring to turn round until she heard the
answer to this question.

"I don't know. He came in not five
minutes ago, with some long story or
other about a fall he'd had, swearing awfully;
and wanted to borrow some money from me