While this woman led the two horses within the gates and fastened them, Mellen raised his wife and carried her into the lodge. She was deathly pale and trembling violently, though in reply to his anxious inquiries, she repeated the same answer: "I am not hurt--not at all hurt." She drank a glass of water, lay down for a few moments on a cane-bottomed settee, which the room boasted as its principal elegance, then insisted upon rising. Mellen sent the woman on to the house, with orders for the people to send down the carriage, as he would not have permitted Elizabeth to walk, even if her strength had seemed more equal to the exertion than it really was. "Did that man frighten the horse?" he asked, when she appeared composed enough to speak. "The whole thing was over before I knew it--even before I saw him clearly he was gone--you cried out--the horse started--" "No!" she answered with feverish earnestness, "the horse started first--I should not have shrieked but for that--why should I?" "The scoundrel must have frightened the horse; did you recognise him?" "He was running fast, you know, and darted into the woods so suddenly." "I should like to have lain hands on him!" "He meant no harm. Gipsy has grown shy of late. Don't think about the matter--there is no mischief done." "But there might have been great danger; I cannot bear even now to think of it." Elizabeth closed her eyes wearily; her recent elation of spirits was quite gone. She looked so pale and ill that Mellen could not feel satisfied that she had suffered no injury. "You are sure that the fall has not hurt you, Bessie?" "Quite sure," she answered, in the same changed voice; "don't trouble yourself about me. I was only frightened." Mellen could not understand her manner, but he said nothing more. She lay back on the settee, and closed her eyes while he stood there regarding and wondering whether she lay thus from weakness or to escape further conversation. At last the woman returned and announced that the carriage would be down immediately. "That are man frightened the horse," she said; "I was a looking out of the window--it's my belief he's a hanging about the place for no good." "Have you ever seen him before?" asked Mellen. "Why, I think it's the chap you was a talking with one day, Mrs. Mellen," said the woman. "I thought you did not know him?" observed Mellen, turning quickly towards his wife. She sat upright, gave him one of her quick, indignant glances, and answered coldly: "I simply said he ran by me so fast I could not tell whether I knew him or not." "Wal, it was the same fellow," pursued Mrs. Green; "I'm sure of that." "Do you remember?" questioned Mellen. "I do not," replied Elizabeth haughtily. Mellen colored and bit his lip, but he saw the woman looking curiously at them and said no more.