"Do you mean me to answer you truly, or to answer you according to the good-natured idea of never saying any ill of one's neighbour?" "Oh, both; if you can." "Oh both; must I? Well, then, I think him good as a man, but bad as a clergyman." "But I thought he worked so very hard as a clergyman?" "So he does. But if he works evil rather than good, you can't call him a good clergyman. Mind, you would have my opinion; and if I talk treason and heterodoxy and infidelity and papistry, you must only take it for what it's worth." "I'm sure you won't talk infidelity." "Nor yet treason; and then, moreover, Mr. Townsend would be so much better a clergyman, to my way of thinking, if he would sometimes brush his hair, and occasionally put on a clean surplice. But, remember, not a word of all this to Aunt Letty." "Oh dear, no; of course not." Mr. Townsend did come out of the house on the little sweep before the door to help Miss Letty up on the car, though it was dark and piercingly cold. "Well, young ladies, and won't you come in now and warm yourselves?" They all of course deprecated any such idea, and declared that they were already much too late. "Richard, mind you take care going down Ballydahan Hill," said the parson, giving a not unnecessary caution to the servant. "I came up it just now, and it was one sheet of ice." "Now, Richard, do be careful," said Miss Letty. "Never fear, miss," said Richard. "We'll take care of you," said Herbert. "You're not frightened, Lady Clara, are you?" "Oh, no," said Clara; and so they started. It was quite dark and very cold, and there was a sharp hard frost. But the lamps of the car were lighted, and the horse seemed to be on his mettle, for he did his work well. Ballydahan Hill was not above a mile from the glebe, and descending that, Richard, by his young master's orders, got down from his seat and went to the animal's head. Herbert also himself got off, and led his horse down the hill. At first the girls were a little inclined to be frightened, and Miss Letty found herself obliged to remind them that they couldn't melt the frost by screaming. But they all got safely down, and were soon chattering as fast as though they were already safe in the drawing-room of Castle Richmond. They went on without any accident, till they reached a turn in the road, about two miles from home; and there, all in a moment, quite suddenly, when nobody was thinking about the frost or the danger, down came the poor horse on his side, his feet having gone quite from under him, and a dreadful cracking sound of broken timber gave notice that a shaft was smashed. A shaft at least was smashed; if only no other harm was done!