“Well, to be sure, it's rainy enough, so it is,” says Corney; “but mile-stones, I thought, was made to stand wind and weather. Is that any one's umbrella there on Henniker's mile-stone?--Be-kase if it's nobody's, why, then, I'll get it.” The umbrella began to move, and presently Corney discovered that a gentleman and his dog was beneath it. There they sat, shivering, dirty, and making themselves as little as possible, on the top of the stone; and barely able, the one to keep his tail, and the other the skirts of his coat, and the lower part of his legs, out of the water; which, after it rained unusually hard,--as it did that day,--got together in a pool round the stone, and sometimes rose over it entirely. “Come out o' that,” said Corney to the gentleman; “come away at once, sir; and don't be sitting that way on Henniker's folly all night! May be you're Henniker himself, though,--and then, no wonder.” The gentleman replied, as well as his shivering would let him, that Corney was mistaken. “Then why stay there, sir?” says Corney, “when we've room on the car for you, and the garron impatient to be going!” “Look at the water,” said the gentleman; “how am I to wade through it?” “Is it wade?--Faith! then, you'll have to swim soon! But take your choice, sir:--I won't persuade you one way or another.” “Where _am_ I?” says the gentleman. “Where _are_ you!--Why, then, look at the side of the stone, and you'll see, cut in legible letters,'_nine miles from anywhere_ and no mile-stone in the world ever spoke truer. Was it to gratify impertinent curiosity, do you think, that Henniker put up the stone?--Not himself, then!--Mad as he was, he knew that it would be quite enough to make any man move on to be tould he was nine miles from anywhere!--What more did you want? Would you have him keep a horse ready saddled, waiting 'till you'd come?” “My mare has thrown me and ran away,” said the gentleman; “and I merely got on the stone, so that I might shelter myself and my dog, from head to foot, until some one came by, or the rain ceased.”