by some blamed for youthful imprudence, and by others for fanatical zeal and contempt of God's good creatures, while some few spoke of him as a prophet raised up to do a mighty work in the country, and some even, speaking with reverence of his beautiful countenance and high and holy living, were ready to believe him an angel sent from Heaven. "In none of which lights," wrote Jack to Primrose, "I may as yet regard him myself, not having had as yet the privilege of seeing or hearing him. Yet I can but regard him as a godly and right-minded youth, and I pray that he may rid us of the evil against which I myself have long testified." But the hope which Primrose secretly indulged, of perchance meeting with this impersonation of her favourite hero (for that he was the youth so beloved by Lady Rosamond and her husband she had no doubt), was not realised on her return to the vale of Gwynnon, for the brave young lecturer had already returned to his studies at Cambridge, and the summer months brought him no more to the valley, nor was further news heard of him throughout the year, though his words were not forgotten, and his new and strange doctrines upon the subject of strong liquors were the talk of all the country-folk, and a matter of much dispute among the more thinking ones among them, whereby some beginning of good worked surely in certain hearts, if unconfessed. It was in the month of May that Primrose journeyed once more into far South Wales in the good Black Horseman's charge, he having received orders from her mother to await her arrival in London, and convey her safely to her guardian's care. Yet, glad though she truly was to return to her home and her beloved foster-father, she left the Lady Bryn Afon with many tears, for the lady herself was greatly overcome at parting from her, assuring her that during their few months' sojourn together she had grown to love her as a dear daughter, and would sorely miss her. And so tenderly had she indeed treated her that Primrose heartily re-echoed her wish that they might ere long meet again, and returned to the home of her childhood feeling that she had left some large portion of her heart in her new friend's keeping; though it needed but one glimpse of the shining river and the dear old cottage, with the boatman's figure in the doorway, to bring back all the old love into her heart, and make her feel almost ashamed at having been so happy away from him. If she had gone away beautiful, she had returned to him ten times more so, Jack thought, when the first greetings were over, and he stood a little way off from her, and surveyed her from head to foot, with eyes of wondering admiration. She still wore her golden locks curling over her shoulders in sunny profusion, and every year her dark eyes of blue-grey hue seemed to deepen and glow with greater wealth of unspoken thought beneath their heavy lashes, which, much darker than her hair, swept over her cheeks in marked contrast to their dazzling