"Good gracious me! Is the girl mad?" cried that lady, as there was the crunching of gravel, the window was darkened, a horse's hoofs sounded loudly on the step, and the head and neck of a beautiful animal were thrust right into the room, with the bright, merry face of a girl close behind, as its owner stooped to avoid the top of the window and peered in. "Hallo! There you are. Good-morning! We've had such a gallop. Where's Isabel? Hallo, sailor, how are you?" "My dear child, don't--pray don't," cried Aunt Anne. "You'll be having some accident. Suppose that horse put his foot through the glass." "Good job for the glazier. Here Tom Beck, give Biddy some lumps of sugar." "Bless the child!" cried Aunt Anne. "Oh, here's Isabel. Mr Beck, take the sugar basin, and back that dreadful animal out." The young sailor obeyed her to the letter, as Isabel entered to look on laughingly, while the other touched the skittish mare upon which she was seated, so that it might join in crunching up the sweet pieces of sugar with which they were fed in turn. "Morning, parson," said the new arrival with the deep-toned voice, to Tom Beck, as the young lieutenant went on sugaring the two steeds. "Thought you were off to sea again." "Did you?" said Beck, meeting his eyes with a lump of sugar in his hand, and with rather a stern, fixed look, from which the new arrival turned with a half laugh. "Yes; you sailors are here to-day and gone to-morrow." "Exactly," said Beck; "but this is to-day and not to-morrow." "Mr Beck--take care!" It was Isabel who cried out in alarm, but her warning was too late, for the handsome mare which Dana Lydon rode had stretched out its neck and taken the lump of sugar the young lieutenant was holding; and as he turned sharply, it was at the sudden grip, for the greater part of his hand was held between the horse's teeth. "Great Heavens!" cried Mr Elthorne. "Wait a moment, I'll make her leave go," cried Dana, raising her whip to strike the animal between the ears. "Stop!" cried Beck sharply, as he caught the mare's bit with his left hand, standing firmly the while, but with his face drawn with pain. "If you do that she'll crush the bones." Isabel uttered a faint sob, and turned white, while Sir Cheltnam sprang from his horse and stepped close to her. "Don't be frightened," he whispered, giving additional pain now to the young sailor in the shape of that which was mental. Isabel paid no heed to him or his words, but stood gazing wildly at the brave young fellow whose hand was gripped as if in a vice by the powerful jaws, but who, beyond knitting his brows and turning pale, made no sign. "Here, Alison," cried Mr Elthorne, "take the other side of the mare's muzzle. She'll crush his hand." "No, no," said the young man, quickly. "She'll let go soon. Be quiet, all of you, or you'll startle her."