she has turned off there." I knew this common very well;
it was for the most part very uneven ground, covered with heather

and dark-green furze bushes, with here and there a scrubby old thorn-tree;
there were also open spaces of fine short grass, with ant-hills

and mole-turns everywhere; the worst place I ever knew for a headlonggallop.
We had hardly turned on the common, when we caught sight again

of the green habit flying on before us. My lady's hat was gone,
and her long brown hair was streaming behind her. Her head and body

were thrown back, as if she were pulling with all her remaining strength,
and as if that strength were nearly exhausted. It was clear

that the roughness of the ground had very much lessened Lizzie's speed,
and there seemed a chance that we might overtake her.

While we were on the highroad, Blantyre had given me my head; but now,
with a light hand and a practiced eye, he guided me over the ground

in such a masterly manner that my pace was scarcely slackened,
and we were decidedly gaining on them.

About halfway across the heath there had been a wide dike recently cut,
and the earth from the cutting was cast up roughly on the other side.

Surely this would stop them! But no; with scarcely a pause
Lizzie took the leap, stumbled among the rough clods and fell.

Blantyre groaned, "Now, Auster, do your best!" He gave me a steady rein.
I gathered myself well together and with one determined leap

cleared both dike and bank.
Motionless among the heather, with her face to the earth,

lay my poor young mistress. Blantyre kneeled down and called her name:
there was no sound. Gently he turned her face upward: it was ghastly white

and the eyes were closed. "Annie, dear Annie, do speak!"
But there was no answer. He unbuttoned her habit, loosened her collar,

felt her hands and wrist, then started up and looked wildly round him
for help.

At no great distance there were two men cutting turf, who,
seeing Lizzie running wild without a rider, had left their work to catch her.

Blantyre's halloo soon brought them to the spot. The foremost man
seemed much troubled at the sight, and asked what he could do.

"Can you ride?"
"Well, sir, I bean't much of a horseman, but I'd risk my neck

for the Lady Anne; she was uncommon good to my wife in the winter."
"Then mount this horse, my friend -- your neck will be quite safe --

and ride to the doctor's and ask him to come instantly; then on to the hall;
tell them all that you know, and bid them send me the carriage,

with Lady Anne's maid and help. I shall stay here."
"All right, sir, I'll do my best, and I pray God the dear young lady

may open her eyes soon." Then, seeing the other man, he called out,
"Here, Joe, run for some water, and tell my missis to come

as quick as she can to the Lady Anne."
He then somehow scrambled into the saddle, and with a "Gee up"

and a clap on my sides with both his legs, he started on his journey,
making a little circuit to avoid the dike. He had no whip,

which seemed to trouble him; but my pace soon cured that difficulty,
and he found the best thing he could do was to stick to the saddle

and hold me in, which he did manfully. I shook him as little
as I could help, but once or twice on the rough ground he called out,

"Steady! Woah! Steady!" On the highroad we were all right;
and at the doctor's and the hall he did his errand like a good man and true.

They asked him in to take a drop of something. "No, no," he said;
"I'll be back to 'em again by a short cut through the fields,

and be there afore the carriage."
There was a great deal of hurry and excitement after the news became known.

I was just turned into my box; the saddle and bridle were taken off,
and a cloth thrown over me.

Ginger was saddled and sent off in great haste for Lord George,
and I soon heard the carriage roll out of the yard.

It seemed a long time before Ginger came back, and before we were left alone;
and then she told me all that she had seen.

"I can't tell much," she said. "We went a gallop nearly all the way,
and got there just as the doctor rode up. There was a woman

sitting on the ground with the lady's head in her lap.
The doctor poured something into her mouth, but all that I heard was,

`She is not dead.' Then I was led off by a man to a little distance.
After awhile she was taken to the carriage, and we came home together.

I heard my master say to a gentleman who stopped him to inquire,
that he hoped no bones were broken, but that she had not spoken yet."

When Lord George took Ginger for hunting, York shook his head;
he said it ought to be a steady hand to train a horse for the first season,

and not a random rider like Lord George.
Ginger used to like it very much, but sometimes when she came back

I could see that she had been very much strained, and now and then
she gave a short cough. She had too much spirit to complain,

but I could not help feeling anxious about her.
Two days after the accident Blantyre paid me a visit;

he patted me and praised me very much; he told Lord George that he was sure
the horse knew of Annie's danger as well as he did. "I could not have

held him in if I would," said he, "she ought never to ride any other horse."
I found by their conversation that my young mistress was now out of danger,

and would soon be able to ride again. This was good news to me
and I looked forward to a happy life.

25 Reuben Smith
Now I must say a little about Reuben Smith, who was left in charge

of the stables when York went to London. No one more thoroughly
understood his business than he did, and when he was all right

there could not be a more faithful or valuable man.
He was gentle and very clever in his management of horses,

and could doctor them almost as well as a farrier,
for he had lived two years with a veterinary surgeon.

He was a first-rate driver; he could take a four-in-hand or a tandem
as easily as a pair. He was a handsome man, a good scholar,

and had very pleasant manners. I believe everybody liked him;
certainly the horses did. The only wonder was that he should be

in an under situation and not in the place of a head coachman like York;
but he had one great fault and that was the love of drink.

He was not like some men, always at it; he used to keep steady for weeks
or months together, and then he would break out and have a "bout" of it,

as York called it, and be a disgrace to himself, a terror to his wife,
and a nuisance to all that had to do with him. He was, however, so useful

that two or three times York had hushed the matter up and kept it
from the earl's knowledge; but one night, when Reuben had to drive a party

home from a ball he was so drunk that he could not hold the reins,
and a gentleman of the party had to mount the box and drive the ladies home.

Of course, this could not be hidden, and Reuben was at once dismissed;
his poor wife and little children had to turn out of the pretty cottage

by the park gate and go where they could. Old Max told me all this,
for it happened a good while ago; but shortly before Ginger and I came

Smith had been taken back again. York had interceded for him with the earl,
who is very kind-hearted, and the man had promised faithfully

that he would never taste another drop as long as he lived there.
He had kept his promise so well that York thought he might be safely trusted

to fill his place while he was away, and he was so clever and honest
that no one else seemed so well fitted for it.

It was now early in April, and the family was expected home some time in May.
The light brougham was to be fresh done up, and as Colonel Blantyre

was obliged to return to his regiment it was arranged that Smith
should drive him to the town in it, and ride back; for this purpose

he took the saddle with him, and I was chosen for the journey.
At the station the colonel put some money into Smith's hand

and bid him good-by, saying, "Take care of your young mistress, Reuben,
and don't let Black Auster be hacked about by any random young prig

that wants to ride him -- keep him for the lady."
We left the carriage at the maker's, and Smith rode me to the White Lion,

and ordered the hostler to feed me well, and have me ready for him at
four o'clock. A nail in one of my front shoes had started as I came along,

but the hostler did not notice it till just about four o'clock.
Smith did not come into the yard till five, and then he said he should

not leave till six, as he had met with some old friends. The man then
told him of the nail, and asked if he should have the shoe looked to.

"No," said Smith, "that will be all right till we get home."
He spoke in a very loud, offhand way, and I thought it very unlike him

not to see about the shoe, as he was generally wonderfully particular
about loose nails in our shoes. He did not come at six nor seven, nor eight,

and it was nearly nine o'clock before he called for me,
and then it was with a loud, rough voice. He seemed in a very bad temper,

and abused the hostler, though I could not tell what for.
The landlord stood at the door and said, "Have a care, Mr. Smith!"

but he answered angrily with an oath; and almost before
he was out of the town he began to gallop, frequently giving me a sharp cut

with his whip, though I was going at full speed. The moon had not yet risen,
and it was very dark. The roads were stony, having been recently mended;

going over them at this pace, my shoe became looser,
and as we neared the turnpike gate it came off.

If Smith had been in his right senses he would have been sensible
of something wrong in my pace, but he was too drunk to notice.

Beyond the turnpike was a long piece of road, upon which fresh stones
had just been laid -- large sharp stones, over which no horse could be

driven quickly without risk of danger. Over this road, with one shoe gone,
I was forced to gallop at my utmost speed, my rider meanwhile cutting into me

with his whip, and with wild curses urging me to go still faster.
Of course my shoeless foot suffered dreadfully; the hoof was broken and split

down to the very quick, and the inside was terribly cut by the sharpness
of the stones.

This could not go on; no horse could keep his footing
under such circumstances; the pain was too great. I stumbled,

and fell with violence on both my knees. Smith was flung off by my fall,
and, owing to the speed I was going at, he must have fallen with great force.

I soon recovered my feet and limped to the side of the road,
where it was free from stones. The moon had just risen above the hedge,

and by its light I could see Smith lying a few yards beyond me.
He did not rise; he made one slight effort to do so,

and then there was a heavy groan. I could have groaned, too,
for I was sufferingintense pain both from my foot and knees;

but horses are used to bear their pain in silence. I uttered no sound,
but I stood there and listened. One more heavy groan from Smith;

but though he now lay in the full moonlight I could see no motion.
I could do nothing for him nor myself, but, oh! how I listened for the sound

of horse, or wheels, or footsteps! The road was not much frequented,
and at this time of the night we might stay for hours before help came to us.

I stood watching and listening. It was a calm, sweet April night;
there were no sounds but a few low notes of a nightingale,

and nothing moved but the white clouds near the moon and a brown owl
that flitted over the hedge. It made me think of the summer nights long ago,

when I used to lie beside my mother in the green pleasant meadow
at Farmer Grey's.

26 How it Ended
It must have been nearly midnight when I heard at a great distance

the sound of a horse's feet. Sometimes the sound died away, then it grew
clearer again and nearer. The road to Earlshall led through woods

that belonged to the earl; the sound came in that direction,
and I hoped it might be some one coming in search of us. As the sound

came nearer and nearer I was almost sure I could distinguish Ginger's step;
a little nearer still, and I could tell she was in the dog-cart.

I neighed loudly, and was overjoyed to hear an answering neigh from Ginger,
and men's voices. They came slowly over the stones, and stopped at

the dark figure that lay upon the ground.
One of the men jumped out, and stooped down over it. "It is Reuben,"

he said, "and he does not stir!"
The other man followed, and bent over him. "He's dead," he said;

"feel how cold his hands are."
They raised him up, but there was no life, and his hair was soaked

with blood. They laid him down again, and came and looked at me.
They soon saw my cut knees.

"Why, the horse has been down and thrown him! Who would have thought
the black horse would have done that? Nobody thought he could fall.

Reuben must have been lying here for hours! Odd, too,

• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)
• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
• upward [´ʌpwəd] a.&ad.向上(的)；以上 (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)
• saddle [´sædl] n.鞍子 v.装鞍(于) (初中英语单词)
• circuit [´sə:kit] n.环行 v.(绕....)环行 (初中英语单词)
• errand [´erənd] n.差使，使命 (初中英语单词)
• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
• carriage [´kæridʒ] n.马车；客车；货运 (初中英语单词)
• gallop [´gæləp] n.&v.奔驰；急速行进 (初中英语单词)
• awhile [ə´wail] ad.少顷；片刻 (初中英语单词)
• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
• management [´mænidʒmənt] n.管理；处理；经营 (初中英语单词)
• disgrace [dis´greis] n.耻辱 vt.玷辱；贬黜 (初中英语单词)
• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• shortly [´ʃɔ:tli] ad.立刻，马上；不久 (初中英语单词)
• safely [´seifli] ad.安全地；平安地 (初中英语单词)
• regiment [´redʒimənt] n.团；一大群 (初中英语单词)
• unlike [,ʌn´laik] a.不同的 prep.不象... (初中英语单词)
• landlord [´lændlɔ:d] n.地主；房东；店主 (初中英语单词)
• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)
• dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)
• terribly [´terəbli] ad.可怕地 (初中英语单词)
• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)
• suffering [´sʌfəriŋ] n.痛苦；灾害 (初中英语单词)
• moonlight [´mu:nlait] n.&a.月光(的) (初中英语单词)
• midnight [´midnait] n.午夜；漆黑 (初中英语单词)
• distinguish [di´stiŋgwiʃ] v.区分；识别；立功 (初中英语单词)
• headlong [´hedlɔŋ] ad.&a.轻率地(的) (高中英语单词)
• overtake [,əuvə´teik] vt.追上；赶上 (高中英语单词)
• decidedly [di´saididli] ad.坚决地，果断地 (高中英语单词)
• roughly [´rʌfli] ad.粗糙地；毛糙地 (高中英语单词)
• ghastly [´gɑ:stli] a.苍白的；可怕的 (高中英语单词)
• foremost [´fɔ:məust] a.最重要的；最先的 (高中英语单词)
• horseman [´hɔ:smən] n.骑手，马术师 (高中英语单词)
• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
• bridle [´braidl] n.(马)笼头；束缚 (高中英语单词)
• ginger [´dʒindʒə] n.姜；精神，元气 (高中英语单词)
• random [´rændəm] n.偶然的行动 (高中英语单词)
• nuisance [´nju:səns] n.损害；讨厌的人(事) (高中英语单词)
• colonel [´kə:nəl] n.海(陆)军上校 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• angrily [´æŋgrili] ad.生气地；愤怒地 (高中英语单词)
• intense [in´tens] a.强烈的；紧张的 (高中英语单词)
• uneven [ʌn´i:vən] a.崎岖的；不匀的 (英语四级单词)
• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)
• coachman [´kəutʃmən] n.赶马车人 (英语四级单词)
• wonderfully [´wʌndəfuli] ad.令人惊讶地；奇妙地 (英语四级单词)
• practiced [´præktist] a.经验丰富的；熟练的 (英语六级单词)
• heather [´heðə] n.石南属植物 (英语六级单词)
• hunting [´hʌntiŋ] n.打猎 (英语六级单词)