312 me Leather F Later. 



resided. Her eyes seemed riveted upon the old house, which the 

 bright rays of the moon had now brought out into full relief, and 

 which she was now leaving for ever. 



She saw the white cottage, the garden she made, 

 And she thought of the lover, forsaken, betrayed ! 



Her resolution all at once gave way, and her long-pent-up 

 feelings found relief in a violent burst of tears. 



But her courage soon returned, and again she nerved herself for 

 the task she had undertaken. They reached the north road in good 

 time, and had to wait a little while under the sign-post before the 

 rattling of wheels and the cheery twang of the horn (for the turn- 

 pike was just ahead) announced the approach of the old Highflyer, 



"Any room inside?" shouted the lad, as the coach pulled up. 



" Plenty," was the laconic reply of the jolly old guard, as he 

 swung himself down from his perch behind to open the coach door. 

 " Here, jump in, miss j" for the old fellow, who was not insensible 

 to the charms of a pretty face, had already made out, by the aid of 

 the moon's rays, that she was both young and " exceedingly fair to 

 look upon," and, as he afterwards observed to the coachman, 

 tf evidently belonged to a better sort." 



" How far are you going with us, miss ?" 



"To London," was the reply given in a thick choking voice, 

 which was not lost upon the shrewd old guard, who remarked it to 

 the coachman at the next change, adding that he should not be a 

 bit surprised if it was a " helopernent j" and throughout the whole 

 journey Annie was always alluded to as " that mysterious party we 

 took up at the Holliwell way-post." 



Her little portmanteau was flung into the hind boot. As she 

 bade good-by to the poor farm servant she slipped a sovereign into 

 his hand. She patted Nero on the head, inwardly wondering 

 whether the old dog would soon forget her. The guard scrambled 

 up again into his seat ; and with an "All right, Jem," and another 

 twang of the horn, the Highflyer rolled on and bore Annie away 



