before us. My lady's hat was gone, and
her long brown hair was streaming behind her. Her head and body
were thrown back, as if she were pulling with all her remaining
strength, and as if that strength were nearly exhausted. It was
clear that the roughness of the ground had very much lessened
Lizzie's speed, and there seemed a chance that we might overtake
her.
While we were on the highroad, Blantyre had given me my head;
but now, with a light hand and a practiced eye, he guided me over
the ground in such a masterly manner that my pace was scarcely
slackened, and we were decidedly gaining on them.
About halfway across the heath there had been a wide dike
recently cut, and the earth from the cutting was cast up roughly on
the other side. Surely this would stop them! But no; with scarcely
a pause Lizzie took the leap, stumbled among the rough clods and
fell. Blantyre groaned, "Now, Auster, do your best!" He gave me a
steady rein. I gathered myself well together and with one
determined leap cleared both dike and bank.
Motionless among the heather, with her face to the earth, lay my
poor young mistress. Blantyre kneeled down and called her name:
there was no sound. Gently he turned her face upward: it was
ghastly white and the eyes were closed. "Annie, dear Annie, do
speak!" But there was no answer. He unbuttoned her habit, loosened
her collar, felt her hands and wrist, then started up and looked
wildly round him for help.
At no great distance there were two men cutting turf, who,
seeing Lizzie running wild without a rider, had left their work to
catch her.
Blantyre's halloo soon brought them to the spot. The foremost
man seemed much troubled at the sight, and asked what he could
do.
"Can you ride?"
"Well, sir, I bean't much of a horseman, but I'd risk my neck
for the Lady Anne; she was uncommon good to my wife in the
winter."
"Then mount this horse, my friend—your neck will be quite
safe—and ride to the doctor's and ask him to come instantly; then
on to the hall; tell them all that you know, and bid them send me
the carriage, with Lady Anne's maid and help. I shall stay
here."
"All right, sir, I'll do my best, and I pray God the dear young
lady may open her eyes soon." Then, seeing the other man, he called
out, "Here, Joe, run for some water, and tell my missis to come as
quick as she can to the Lady Anne."
He then somehow scrambled into the saddle, and with a "Gee up"
and a clap on my sides with both his legs, he started on his
journey, making a little circuit to avoid the dike. He had no whip,
which seemed to trouble him; but my pace soon cured that
difficulty, and he found the best thing he could do was to stick to
the saddle and hold me in, which he did manfully. I shook him as
little as I could help, but once or twice on the rough ground he
called out, "Steady! Woah! Steady!" On the highroad we were all
right; and at the doctor's and the hall he did his errand like a
good man and true. They asked him in to take a drop of something.
"No, no," he said; "I'll be back to 'em again by a short cut
through the fields, and be there afore the carriage."
There was a great deal of hurry and excitement after the news
became known. I was just turned into my box; the saddle and bridle
were taken off, and a cloth thrown over me.
Ginger was saddled and sent off in great haste for Lord George,
and I soon heard the carriage roll out of the yard.
It seemed a long time before Ginger came back, and before we
were left alone; and then she told me all that she had seen.
"I can't tell much," she said. "We went a gallop nearly all the
way, and got there just as the doctor rode up. There was a woman
sitting on the ground with the lady's head in her lap. The doctor
poured something into her mouth, but all that I heard was, 'She is
not dead.' Then I was led off by a man to a little distance. After
awhile she was taken to the carriage, and we came home together. I
heard my master say to a gentleman who stopped him to inquire, that
he
her long brown hair was streaming behind her. Her head and body
were thrown back, as if she were pulling with all her remaining
strength, and as if that strength were nearly exhausted. It was
clear that the roughness of the ground had very much lessened
Lizzie's speed, and there seemed a chance that we might overtake
her.
While we were on the highroad, Blantyre had given me my head;
but now, with a light hand and a practiced eye, he guided me over
the ground in such a masterly manner that my pace was scarcely
slackened, and we were decidedly gaining on them.
About halfway across the heath there had been a wide dike
recently cut, and the earth from the cutting was cast up roughly on
the other side. Surely this would stop them! But no; with scarcely
a pause Lizzie took the leap, stumbled among the rough clods and
fell. Blantyre groaned, "Now, Auster, do your best!" He gave me a
steady rein. I gathered myself well together and with one
determined leap cleared both dike and bank.
Motionless among the heather, with her face to the earth, lay my
poor young mistress. Blantyre kneeled down and called her name:
there was no sound. Gently he turned her face upward: it was
ghastly white and the eyes were closed. "Annie, dear Annie, do
speak!" But there was no answer. He unbuttoned her habit, loosened
her collar, felt her hands and wrist, then started up and looked
wildly round him for help.
At no great distance there were two men cutting turf, who,
seeing Lizzie running wild without a rider, had left their work to
catch her.
Blantyre's halloo soon brought them to the spot. The foremost
man seemed much troubled at the sight, and asked what he could
do.
"Can you ride?"
"Well, sir, I bean't much of a horseman, but I'd risk my neck
for the Lady Anne; she was uncommon good to my wife in the
winter."
"Then mount this horse, my friend—your neck will be quite
safe—and ride to the doctor's and ask him to come instantly; then
on to the hall; tell them all that you know, and bid them send me
the carriage, with Lady Anne's maid and help. I shall stay
here."
"All right, sir, I'll do my best, and I pray God the dear young
lady may open her eyes soon." Then, seeing the other man, he called
out, "Here, Joe, run for some water, and tell my missis to come as
quick as she can to the Lady Anne."
He then somehow scrambled into the saddle, and with a "Gee up"
and a clap on my sides with both his legs, he started on his
journey, making a little circuit to avoid the dike. He had no whip,
which seemed to trouble him; but my pace soon cured that
difficulty, and he found the best thing he could do was to stick to
the saddle and hold me in, which he did manfully. I shook him as
little as I could help, but once or twice on the rough ground he
called out, "Steady! Woah! Steady!" On the highroad we were all
right; and at the doctor's and the hall he did his errand like a
good man and true. They asked him in to take a drop of something.
"No, no," he said; "I'll be back to 'em again by a short cut
through the fields, and be there afore the carriage."
There was a great deal of hurry and excitement after the news
became known. I was just turned into my box; the saddle and bridle
were taken off, and a cloth thrown over me.
Ginger was saddled and sent off in great haste for Lord George,
and I soon heard the carriage roll out of the yard.
It seemed a long time before Ginger came back, and before we
were left alone; and then she told me all that she had seen.
"I can't tell much," she said. "We went a gallop nearly all the
way, and got there just as the doctor rode up. There was a woman
sitting on the ground with the lady's head in her lap. The doctor
poured something into her mouth, but all that I heard was, 'She is
not dead.' Then I was led off by a man to a little distance. After
awhile she was taken to the carriage, and we came home together. I
heard my master say to a gentleman who stopped him to inquire, that
he
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