If he remembered right, there was a field to cross--no--he couldn't be sure, on the whole, that the road didn't open right into the turnpike, after all. Perhaps it didn't, though; it was two years since he had been over it, and how could he remember--so dark as it was, too! A moment's reflection told me that there was no use in going back till we had tried a little further, for the turnpike could not be very distant. I thought I had a general idea of where the village lay, and that we were going toward it. So cheering up my attendant as well as I could, and suiting my pace to his, I endured another half mile of pretty uncomfortable suspense before an opening in the trees, and a patch of cloudy sky, sent a ray of comfort to my heart. "Courage, Michael!" I cried, "here's the end of our troubles--here's an opening in the woods. Is this the way the road looked, do you think?" Michael sprang down from his horse with great alacrity, to let down the bars that retarded our progress. Ah, yes! This was all right--just as he said; he knew we had to cross a field. Quite reassured, I told him to ride on in front, as he seemed to know the way now, and he valiantly led on, along the edges of what seemed to me a ploughed field; but Michael being positive that there was a beaten road along it, I submitted to his judgment. By and by, we came to another pair of bars, which Michael confidently took down, and conscientiously put up after we had passed through, and again led the van. In the meantime, I watched the sky with anxiety. The wind was rising, and swept cold across the fields; the clouds, though broken and flying, obscured the light of the moon, yet low in the east. I had no way but to trust to Michael, and I tried to do it without any misgivings, as he seemed so confident; but it was not long before he began to waver again. After a pause, and a moment's bewildered gaze around, he struck his hand upon his forehead, and exclaimed: "Upon my honor, Miss, it's my opinion we're in a dreadful fix! I know no more than the dead where we are!" "Fool!" I cried, starting forward in an agony of apprehension, "why didn't you say so before?" Michael gave a miserable groan, and seemed utterly confounded. "Let us go back as fast as ever we can!" I exclaimed. "That's just what I can't see how to do," whined my hopeful guide, "for between letting down, and putting up bars, and crossing backward and forward, I can't seem to to remember where we did come in."