As Lady Eleanor came
back to the house, the clock struck eight, and she returned to the Hall
with a deadly sinking at her heart. A quarter of an hour later, she
heard the Corporal's step, limping heavier than usual, and jumped to
her feet; and the Corporal came in, looking white and haggard and
weary, but braced himself to his usual erect attitude when he saw her,
and stood at attention.
Then he told his story quietly and clearly. They had ridden right up
to the highest point of a ridge, as they had designed, to look over the
moor to the coast of Wales; and while they were standing there a deer
had come by, and they had ridden down a little further to see what
should come next. And then the hounds had come up in full cry and only
half-a-dozen horsemen, among whom was Colonel Fitzdenys, anywhere near
them. Old Billy was so much excited that the Corporal could hardly
hold him, and at last the old horse fairly bolted away with him and the
two ponies after him. The Corporal had managed to pull up Billy, but
the two ponies had shot past him, both the children crying out with
delight, and while galloping on to catch them Billy had come down in a
boggy place, and the corporal supposed that he himself must have been a
bit stunned, for when he got up he found that he had let go of his rein
and that Billy and everybody else had disappeared.
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