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Sir Archibald Maxwell Mackenzie

GREY TOR INN

MRS. MACGILL is not the kind of person you'd associate with danger,—being an armchair-and-feather-bed sort of character,—yet, by Jingo, the old girl has had a narrow squeak to-day. She and Miss Virginia went out for a walk together, the companion being invisible with the usual head-ache. I thought I would follow them a little way. Mrs. MacGill is an interfering old person, and I have noticed of late that she scents a flirtation between the fair American and me. Whether there is a flirtation or not, I don't know (I am not learned in such things); but if there were, she is not the person to stop it, nor any other old cat on earth. She has merely succeeded—I wish she knew—in putting it into my head that American girls are apt to be exceedingly | | 74 attractive as well as eligible in the matrimonial market. I should think Miss Virginia was as eligible as any of them, and better-looking than most.

I kept the pair in sight, and it was lucky that I did. A tremendous explosion from a quarry where some men are blasting made me stop short, and as to the old girl in front, she leaped about a foot into the air, and I could hear Miss Virginia laugh and say something funny about ankles and white stockings. Just then a most extraordinary noise began at the top of the lane, a pounding of hoofs and grinding of gravel and flying of stones; and in another minute, round the corner of this lane, which was of the narrowest sort and nearly roofed in with trees and banks, as these beastly Devonshire lanes always are, came a herd of moor ponies—about twenty or thirty of them—squeaking and biting and kicking, in a regular stampede. The report of the blasting had startled them, I don't doubt, | | 75 and part terror, part vice, made them kick up a shindy and set off at full gallop. There was n't a moment to lose. I ran for the women, with a shout, thinking only of the young one, of course. But when I saw the two together, there was n't a question of which I must help. Miss Virginia had legs of her own; if Mrs. MacGill had any, they were past helping her now. There was a sort of hurdle to the right; I managed to jam the old woman against it and shout to the girl, "Shin up that bank! Look alive!" while I stood in front, waving my arms and carrying on like a madman to frighten the ponies. They bore down on us in a swelter of dust; but just when they were within about a yard of our position, they swerved to the left, stopped half a second, looking at us out of the corners of their eyes, snuffed the air, snorted, gave a squeal or two more, and galloped off down the lane. It was a pretty narrow shave,—nothing, of course, if the women had n't been there. | | 76 Miss Virginia and I shook hands over it, and between us we got the old lady back to the hotel, nearly melted with fright.

That night after dinner I was smoking on the verandah in front of the hotel. I heard Miss Virginia singing as she crossed the hall, and looked in.

"It's rather a jolly night, Miss Pomeroy," I said, "not at all cold."

"Is n't it?" she asked, and came to the door.

"There 's a comfortable seat here," I added, "and the verandah keeps off the wind from the moor."

She came out. It was quite dark, for the sky was cloudy and there was no moon, but there was a splash of light where we sat, from the hall window, so that I could see Miss Virginia and she could see me. She was dressed in a very pretty frock, all pink and white, and I have certainly now come round to the artist's opinion that she is an uncommonly pretty girl; not that I care for | | 77 pretty girls,—of course they are the worst kind, and I have always avoided them so far.

"Well," said Miss Virginia, "you've done a fairly good day's work, I should think, and can go to bed with an easy conscience and sleep the sleep of the just!"

"Why, particularly?" I inquired bashfully.

"Why?" cried Miss Virginia. "Have n't you rescued Age and Scotland from a cruel death? I suppose it did n't matter to you. what became of Youth and America. But I forgive you, you managed the other so well."

I couldn't help laughing and getting rather red, and Miss Virginia gave me a wicked look out of her black eyes.

"Why, Miss Pomeroy," I said in a confused way, "don't you see how it was? I argued to myself you had your own legs to save yourself on, while"—

But here Miss Virginia jumped up with a little scream.

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"We don't talk about legs that way, where I come from!" she said, but I saw she was not really shocked, only laughing, with the rum little dimples coming out in her cheeks.

"Won't you shake hands again," I suggested, "to show you have quite forgiven me?"

Miss Virginia's hand was in mine, I was holding it, when who should come to the door and look out but Mrs. MacGill.

"I think it is very cold and damp for you to be out at this hour, Miss Pomeroy," she remarked pointedly.

"Well, I suppose it is, Mrs. MacGill," said Miss Virginia, as cool as you please, lifting up the long tail of her dress and making a little face at one over her shoulder.

Mrs. MacGill gave a long sniff and never budged till Miss Virginia was safely inside. The old harridan—I 'll teach her a lesson if she does n't mend her manners!