tearful apologies; he galloped home, had a fresh horse and Molly's pony
saddled, and though Betty called after him with a riding-skirt for the
child, when he was not ten yards from his own stable-door, he had
refused to turn back for it, but gone off, as Dick the stableman said,
'muttering to himself awful.'

Mrs. Brown had her bottle of wine out, and her plate of cake, before
Molly came back from her long expedition to Mrs. Kirkpatrick's room,
'pretty nigh on to a quarter of a mile off,' as the housekeeper
informed the impatient father, as he waited for his child to come down
arrayed in her morning's finery with the gloss of newness worn off. Mr.
Gibson was a favourite in all the Towers' household, as family doctors
generally are; bringing hopes of relief at times of anxiety and
distress; and Mrs. Brown, who was subject to gout, especially delighted
in petting him whenever he would allow her. She even went out into the
stable-yard to pin Molly up in the shawl, as she sate upon the rough-
coated pony, and hazarded the somewhat safe conjecture,--

'I dare say she'll be happier at home, Mr. Gibson,' as they rode away.

Once out into the park Molly struck her pony, and urged him on as hard
as he would go, Mr. Gibson called out at last,--

'Molly! we're coming to the rabbit-holes; it's not safe to go at such a
pace. Stop.' And as she drew rein he rode up alongside of her.

'We're getting into the shadow of the trees, and it's not safe riding
fast here.'

'Oh! papa, I never was so glad in all my life. I felt like a lighted