"Daisy, do you think it will come up a storm?" "I think it will." "How soon? you know the signs better than I do. How soon will it be here?" "It will come soon, I think." Yet there was no anxiety in Daisy's voice. It was perfectly calm, though feeble. The Captain held his peace, looked at the clouds, and drove on; but not as fast as he would have liked. He knew it was a ride of great suffering to his little charge, for she became exceedingly pale; still she said nothing, except her soft replies to his questions. The western clouds rolled up in great volumes of black and grey, rolling and gathering and spreading at a magnificent rate. The sun was presently hid behind the fringe of this curtain of blackness; by and by the mountains were hid beneath a further fringe of rain; a very thick fringe. Between, the masses of vapour in the sky seemed charging for a tremendous outburst. It had not come yet when the slow going little wagon passed through Crum Elbow; but by this time the Captain had seen distant darts of lightning, and even heard the far-off warning growl of the thunder. A new idea started up in the Captain's mind; his frisky horse might not like lightning. "Daisy," said he, "my poor little Daisy--we cannot get to Melbourne--we must stop and wait a little somewhere. Is there any house you like better than another? I had best turn back to the village." "No, don't,--stop!" cried Daisy, "don't go back, Capt. Drummond; there is a place nearer. Turn up that road--right round there. It is very near." The Captain obeyed, but pulled in the reins presently as he heard a nearer growl of the coming thunder. "Daisy, where is it? I don't see anything." "There it is, Capt. Drummond--that little house." "_That_?" said the Captain; but there was no more time now for retreat or question. He sprang out, threw the reins two or three times over the gate-post; then executed the very difficult operation of taking Daisy out of the wagon. He could not do it without hurting her; she fainted on his shoulder; and it was in this state, white and senseless, that he carried her into Mrs. Benoit's cottage. The old woman had seen them and met him at the door. Seeing the state of the case, she immediately and with great quickness spread a clean covering over a comfortable chintz couch which stood under the window, and Daisy was laid there from her friend's arms. Juanita applied water and salts too, deftly; and then asked the Captain, "What is it, sir?" "There's a foot hurt here," said the Captain, giving more attention to the hurt than he had had chance to do before. "Pray heaven it is not broken! I am afraid it is,--the ankle--or dislocated." "Then Heaven knows _why_ it is broken," said the old woman quietly. "The gentleman will go for a doctor, sir?" "Yes, that must be the first thing," said Capt. Drummond gravely. "Where shall I find him?" "Dr. Sandford--the gentleman, knows the road to Mr. St. Leonard's?" "Yes--the Craigs--I know."