with an encouraging smile; "that it is in my power to do justice to that remarkable little incident, while I am riding a fast-trotting horse. I was thoroughly used to a horse in my youth, for my father did afford to keep one, and I was on his back perpetually. And in the Peninsula, I have ridden some thousands of miles with despatches. But for five-and-twenty years, since I have not been wanted, our circumstances did not permit of much riding; and it takes a little time to be comfortable again." "You ride like a Centaur, Uncle John. It is impossible for anybody to ride better. But still I can easily understand that you like to do things in the regular way. Look, here are two great stones that seem to have dropped from the sky on purpose to be sat upon. Suppose we jump off, and rest the horses, and you can enjoy all the landscape, while you talk." invented. The Colonel, more happy than a king, smiled at them, rested on his elbow, and began his tale. "Towards the close of the hardest, perhaps, of the many hard conflicts our great Commander won, by the aid of a Gracious. Providence and his own unwearied vigilance, although the position of the enemy was turned, and the issue of the day was scarcely doubtful, one very important post held out, and had repulsed all our attempts to carry it. The difficulties of the ground were great; not only was the approach very steep and intersected by a watercourse, but also the French artillery, beautifully served at grapeshot range, poured a crossing fire upon Our attack. At the same time our own guns could not be brought to bear with any good effect upon this crest, which was defended with admirable spirit by a body of seasoned veterans, as calm and as steady as our very best brigade. In short, there seemed no chance of carrying the position, without fear By the side of the long and lonely track, these hoary granite blocks invited the traveller to a breezy rest. A tranquil mindful sacrifice, or even with it. would not have found that invitation marred, because accepted, through long ages now, by those who have the rest without the breeze. The stones are the well-known "Coffinstones," whereat for more than six hundred years the bearers of the dead across the moor have halted from their heavy plod, laid down their burden on the stones, to take its latest stretch of mountain, and spread their own bodies on the grass around, to talk of what would happen to themselves ere long. Of these things the young lady had no knowledge, else would she never have sat down there; neither did her companion know; but the knowledge would not have moved him more than to make him sit bare-headed. "The line of the enemy, as I have said, was being driven in at almost every other point; and our great Commander perceiving that we must eventually obtain this post, sent orders that as we could not take it, we should maintain our position, until the post was taken for us. "Let the poor things graze; the grass is sweet," he said, as he took the bridles off; and the nags, after jerking their noses with surprise, pricked their ears forward—not enough for him to catch them—and looked at him with well-meaning doubt. "Yes, you go and crop, I say. The Lord has given And be sure you come at once, when you hear me whistle." you good teeth. Obedient to his voice they went, with a little tenderness of step at first, because it was long since they had crushed the blade, but presently the joy of nature's colour and the taste broke forth in them; they pranced and threw up their heels and capered, and the gentleman's horse made his stirrups clash beneath him, then fearing to waste one precious moment, they fell to and worked the best mowing-machine that has ever been Gentlemen, or rather I should say, 'my dear,' it is impossible for me to make you understand what the feeling of our division was when we received that message." "Yes, Uncle John, I can understand it thoroughly. I should have been ready to knock my head against the first French cannon I could find. But here you always take a pinch of snuff, with permission of the ladies, if any are present. You have my permission, and more than that, my orders. You will never take that post, without it." "I know how incapable I am,” resumed the Colonel in his proper tones, of describing the condition of the human mind; but all around me being Englishmen -or, at least, an English lady, I need only say that we were vexed. Because we had always supposed ourselves, whether rightly or wrongly. is not for me to say, to be the flower of the whole British army. Every man of us was burning to be at it once again; and yet we knew better than to set at nought our orders, by attempting another direct assault. I remember, as if I were looking at him now, | how the indomitable General H turned from the staff-officer, and spat upon the ground, to save himself from swearing at our great Commander. But while we were all be blown away, like wads; so that we were "The trees were quite young, and the "To us it had been a most irksome thing to wait there doing nothing, but hearing in the distance the laughter of the enemy, and receiving now and then a round shot; and when there was a call for some forty volunteers who could handle an axe, and haul trees away, the only trouble was to choose the men. Having been lucky enough to do something which pleased the General that morning, and being rather supple-jointed in those days, I obtained the command of this little detachment, under very simple orders. Our duty was nothing more than to draw three corks, as the General said, with a laugh at his own wit; and I never draw a cork now, or get it done for me-since I lost the right of doing my own work-without think ing what a hard job it was on that occasion. "It seems that the young man I told you of just now was very fond of wandering among the woods alone, whenever he could get the opportunity, without actual breach of orders; and he had just recognised the spur of the hill, which the enemy held so stubbornly, as a spot well known to him from a former visit. And unless his memory deceived him altogether, a narrow neck of land would be found running down slantwise from the hill on our right, into the very heart of the position. With a hundred, or a hundred and fifty horse, dashing down upon the guns, while engaged in front, the whole must fall into our hands at once. Only there was no possibility of a charge, while three young cork-trees, which stood upon the neck at its narrowest point, were standing. "Now the difficulty was, as you will see at once, if you honour me by following my story, gentlemen, not only to cut down those three trees, but to get them clean out of the way, ere ever the enemy should have time to learn what was intended, and bring their guns to bear in that direction. In such a case, cavalry crowded together would simply covered. One man fell, and we lifted him aside, that the horses might not tread on him; and then at any risk, I gave the signal; because it must be now or never. Our volunteers were ordered to slip off right and left, as two other guns were brought to bear on us; but my duty compelled me, very much against my liking, to stop in the middle of the drift, to show our cavalry where the obstruction was. For the smoke was hanging low upon the ground, just like a fog. "Now while I stood there, without any consideration, and spread out like a fingerpost-for I had not the courage to be careful-the enemy sent another volley up the drift, and much of it fell to my share. So that if they had measured their powder aright, I had never lived to find fault with it. Down I went, just in the stream of the track, and for three months heard no more of it. "But the men at the side, who were out of the way, gave a very clear history of what happened, when the shower of grape went past them. The charge, which must have trampled me to death, was stopped by the young officer commanding, with a wave of his sword and his horse reined across; and then he leaped off, and came alone to where I lay. In the thickest of the fire he lifted me, they said, as calmly as a nurse takes a baby from the cradle, and placed me behind the cork-tree, where shot could never touch me, and the hoof must turn aside. Then he tore off the scarf from his neck, and bound up a wound that was draining my body; while the Frenchmen perceived him, as the smoke rolled off, and like truly noble fellows forbore their fire. He kissed his hand to them, in acknowledgment of this, and then shouting to them that the fighting was resumed, returned to his horse, gave the signal to charge, and carried their guns in a twinkling. Now, such a deed as that makes one proud to be an Englishman." "Or even a good Frenchman," fair Julia replied. "I scarcely know which of them behaved, the best. And though you make so little of your own part, I think you were the hero of the whole thing, Uncle John. But of course you found out the young officer's name? And now for the other story, Uncle John. I have heard this story of the bravest man, a lot of times; and I like it better almost every time. But I have never heard the story of the noblest man; and I dare say that is finer still.” 66 It is," the Colonel answered in his simple way. "But I never like to tell that tale in cold blood, or before my dinner. And even so, I must have people who can enter into it. And even then, one ought to have a heavy cold, to explain the condition of the eyes that comes of it." if firm which he had reared. Honesty, industry, enterprise, and prudence, had won for him nearly quite enough of money to live upon happily, and want no more. In the vigour of life, when the hearts of men are as quick of warmth as a fire at its prime, he had incurred a very serious loss, never to be balanced in £ s. d. The wife of his love, and the little ones of theirs, went all to the grave between a Sunday and a Saturday, through a storm of black fever, called in Devonshire "the plague." This sorrow took the zeal out of his existence, and left him a grave well-balanced man, who had learned that life is not counted by troy-weight. Now in the holiday of calm age, Caleb Tucker was a venerable person, slow to move except with pity, and tranquil in the steadfast hope of finding in a larger world the losses of the little one. His sister was twenty "The heavy cold you will certainly have, you sit on these cold stones so long. And here comes a hailstorm, the delicate atten-years younger than himself, and her children tion of soft April to Dartmoor. Oh, I shall were his successors; and he meant to do his be blind, if it goes on like this. Whistle for duty to his own kin, instead of founding the horses, uncle dear." charities to be jobbed by aliens. Under these circumstances, it was right of Mrs. Giblets to make much of him, and encourage him to save and increase his cash. CHAPTER IX.-THE RED-FACED MAN. BEFORE "the ever loyal city," as Exeter loves to call itself, was undermined with iron bars beneath its Castle-ramparts, Northernhay was a quiet place, aside of the noisy London road, and pleasant for a Sunday walk. Here, in a good old ivied house, snugly encompassed by thick cob walls, was living, and well deserved to live, a gentleman of the ancient name of "Tucker." Also his Christian name was ancient, being "Caleb," and no more. This gentleman lived with his widowed sister, Mrs. Giblets, late of Barnstaple, whose two boys went to the high grammar-school, as often as they could not help it. The deceased Mr. Giblets, a currier of repute, had thrice been Mayor of Barnstaple, and had sacrificed his life to his festive duties; at the time of the Reform Bill. His relic was a lady of like dignity and virtue, convinced (as all Barum people are) of the vast superiority of that town, yet affable to the Mayor of Exeter. Their daughter, Mary Giblets, was a very nice young lady, a thorough girl of Devon, with a round rosy face, a smile for everybody, and almost at everything, a pair of brisk substantial feet, and a special turn for marketing. Caleb Tucker, the owner of the house, but not the master always, had long been in business as a timber - merchant, and still would make a purchase, or a sale, upon occasion, although he had retired from the "How sudden the changes of the weather seem to be!" He was saying to his sister, as they sat out in the garden, on the Saturday, the very day after the Colonel's tale had been hurried by the hailstorm; "the spring weather never used to change like this; at least when the turn of the days was over. How bright it was yesterday, until it began to rain! Then the hills towards Dartmoor were covered with snow, or hail, or whatever it may have been.” "It must have been either hail or snow, if it was white;" Mrs. Giblets replied, being proud of perfect accuracy; "the weather is continually changing; but the only white things in it are snow and hail.” "Certainly Mollikins, and frost as well. It might have been the white frost on the moors. But whatever it was, it made me think this morning, as I looked at it from my bedroom window, of that poor gentleman I bought the land for. He has made such a beautiful garden up there, and I fear that the frost will destroy all his bloom." "He must suffer the will of the Lord, I suppose, as everybody else is obliged to do. Sometimes I lose my patience with him, because you never tell me who he is. Why should a gentleman come down here, and buy a little far-off place like that, and work like a common labourer? No one would dare to attempt such a thing in the neigh |