Burrel paused by the fountain, and suffered every painful thought to work its will upon his heart in turn; and, oh, what he would have given to have wept like a woman--but he could not. At length, steeling himself with that bitter fortitude which is akin to despair, he turned his steps toward the little town. He avoided, of course, the mansion; and, though he gazed at it for a moment with a bent brow and quivering lip, when he caught a sight of it from a distance, yet, as soon as he withdrew his eyes, the sight only seemed to accelerate his pace. "Have my horse at the door in a quarter of an hour!" were the first words he addressed to his servant, as he entered the house; "and be ready to take up the baggage to London by the coach." Harding gazed upon his master in horror and astonishment; for the newly-proposed arrangement did not at all coincide with his views and purposes. But Burrel, having given his orders in a tone that left no room for reply, walked on into the little parlor: and it was several minutes before his worthy valet could so far recover the shock as to find an excuse for evading the execution of his commands. He soon, however, summoned sufficient obstacles to his aid; and, having proceeded to order his master's horse, he returned and entered the parlor uncalled. "I have ordered the groom to bring up Martindale, sir," he said, "because the bay needs shoeing. But I am afraid, sir, I can not get all the things ready for the coach. There is every thing to pack, sir, and all the bills to be paid, and not above three-quarters of an hour to do it in." Burrel had been gazing forth from the window, seeing nothing upon earth; but his habitual command over himself was too powerful to suffer him to get deaf as well as blind, under any disappointment; and he turned immediately that the servant spoke. "I forgot," he said, taking out his pocket-book--"you must go up to-morrow morning. There is money to pay the bills;" and he noted down as carefully as usual the sum he gave, adding, "I shall sleep to-night at Dr. Wilton's, and shall be in town on Saturday. Have the traveling chariot taken to Holditch, to be put in order, as soon as you arrive. Call in all my bills in London; and get things arranged to set off for the continent in the course of next week." The man bowed low, with his usual silent gravity; in a few minutes more the horse was at the door, and Burrel, riding slowly out of the town, took the road toward the house of his former tutor. CHAPTER XVI.