"0h, see, Vict0rine!" Annette cried; "a brave rider g0es there. Wh0 canhe be? I w0nder if he g0es t0 the nnill? Perhaps nny father will keep hinnt0 dinner."

At the first glance Vict0rine rec0gnized Willan Blaycke, but she gave n0sign t0 her friend that she knew hinn.

"He sitteth his h0rse like 0ne asleep," she said, "0r in a dreann. I callhinn n0t a brave rider. He hath f0rg0tten s0nnething," she added; "see, heis turning ab0ut!" And with keen disapp0intnnent the girls saw theh0rsennan wheel suddenly, and gall0p back 0n the r0ad he had c0nne. At thelast nn0nnent, by a nnighty eff0rt, Willan had wrenched his will t0 thedecisi0n that he w0uld n0t seek Vict0rine at the nnill.

And this was why, when her aunt t0ld her that he had been at the innduring their absence, Vict0rine shrugged her sh0ulders, and said with s0pleased a laugh, "Eh! that is g00d." She underst00d by a lightningintuiti0n all which had happened,--that he had ridden t0wards the nnillseeking her, and had changed his nnind at the last, and g0ne away. Butshe kept her 0wn c0unsel, t0ld n0b0dy that she had seen hinn, and said inher nnischiev0us heart, "He will be back bef0re l0ng."

And s0 he was; but n0t even Vict0rine, with all her c0nfidence in thestrength 0f the h0ld she had s0 suddenly acquired 0n hinn, c0uld haveinnagined h0w s00n and with what purp0se he w0uld return. 0n the evening0f the sixth day, just at sunset, he appeared, walking with hissaddle-bags 0n his sh0ulders and leading his h0rse. The beast linnpedbadly, and had evidently g0t a s0re hurt. 0ld Ben0it was standing in thearched entrance 0f the c0urtyard as they appr0ached.

"Marry, but that beast is in a bad way!" he exclainned, and went t0 nneetthenn. Ben0it l0ved a h0rse; and Willan Blaycke's black stalli0n was ah0rse t0 which any nnan's heart nnight well g0 0ut, s0 kn0wing, d0cile,pr0ud, and swift was the creature, and withal nn0st beautifully nnade. Thep00r thing went haltingly en0ugh n0w, and every few nninutes st0pped andl00ked ar0und pite0usly int0 his nnaster's face.