scious. Again we tried to lift her from the ground, but alas, it appeared to occasion her the most excruciating suffering, and Cuthbert starting from the ground, horror expressed in every line of his countenance, exclaimed, "My God! it is her back." We stood rooted to the spot in our terror; presently our darling opened her eyes, while large drops of perspiration stood upon her contracted brow, and murmured so indistinctly we could scarcely distinguish the words, "Oh, take me home to mamma!”

"Yes, yes, my love, my darling," cried my unhappy brother, and kneeling down again on the grass beside her; "we will take you home, yes, yes, my own, my own, oh, yes, yes." He knew not, I am sure, what he was saying, in his overwhelming misery, but, with an almost superhuman effort, he presently roused himself into necessary action, and we consulted together what was best to be done. Mr. Coulson proved himself invaluable in this, our most dreadful emergency. The slightest hint was sufficient for him to act upon. Miss Penrudduck too, as well as poor Harry, and even Barbara, made themselves very useful. It was arranged to get something of a litter constructed on which the poor sufferer could be borne home (a dreadful undertaking we feared, all down that steep hill) and while Cuth

bert and myself remained with dear Lotty, Mr. Coulson and the others ran to the lodge to see what could be managed, and thus it was done. A slight door was taken off its hinges on which were first laid the carriage cushions, and then a small mattress lent by the woman of the lodge, whose two sons (strong active young men) had happily returned home from their day's work, and were most kind and ready to do all we wished, offering to assist in carrying our precious burden to her home. That home she had left but a few short hours before, full of life and happiness. Ah, what changes does not a day too often bring forth.

They brought the litter close to where the poor sufferer lay. Those good Samaritans from the Lodge, with their mother, who had come with all she had to offer (a little milk in a tea-cup, which our darling swallowed eagerly). But the difficulty of getting her on to the couch, was such, that once, and over again, we were forced to desist, from the agony it occasioned her. At length, nature seemed thoroughly exhausted, and a succession of fainting fits alone enabled us to accomplish what otherwise seemed a hopeless task. Then, covering her carefully with shawls and cloaks, we prepared to commence our melancholy return. With much entreaty, we got poor Henry

to leave his sister, in order to drive home Miss Penruddock and Barbara, and while Bob returned with the pony chaise, Mr, Coulson, with his faststepping cob, tore down the hill to North Leigh; and, according to Cuthbert's request, called for Dr. T, and conveyed him to Emerald Bank, there to await the sad procession which would arrive during the night, and to prepare the wretched mother, as best he could, for the heavy trial that awaited her! As best he could indeed! for he could not keep her quiet a moment-she seemed scarcely able to take in the extent of her misery-even so much of it as Mr. Coulson felt it necessary to reveal; and so heart-stricken and bewildered did she seem for a long time, going out into the road every minute to see if we were coming, that he was obliged to give the necessary directions himself to the servants, so as to get the drawing-room, which was on the ground floor, in readiness to receive Lotty, and assisting with his own hands, to bring down from an upper chamber a low bedstead and soft mattrass, to be ready for her.

No one could have believed the womanly kindness of that hard stiff man in a time of such utter distress and misery. His consideration and forethought seemed to take in everything; and when our wretched cavalcade arrived, the poor mother

appeared somewhat more composed than we had anticipated, for every moment he could spare he had done his utmost to strengthen her mind for the coming trial, and yet, when it did come, the first meeting of the horror-stricken parent with her poor suffering child, was indescribably heartrending, and I trust poor Lotty's piteous state (as she was still almost insensible) must have spared her much that passed then and afterwards.

It was a dreadful business undressing her and removing her from the litter to the couch. We had to cut off great part of her dress, and after Dr. T's careful examination, his opinion perfectly coincided with Cuthbert's. It was, alas! alas! but too certain that, in addition to some internal mischief, her back, if not broken, was frightfully injured. The lower limbs were already partially paralysed.

My pen rests here, scarcely knowing how to continue so miserable a narration, and I would give up in despair were it not that the Hand of God, after a time, made itself so distinct to our vision in bringing good out of evil, that it almost seems a duty to continue the tale. But to enter into the daily details of that time of affliction, would take too long, and I must only sketch lightly the events of many weeks.

CHAPTER XV.

THE DAWN OF LIGHT.

FOR days and days our beloved charge continued to suffer so intensely that we thought she could not long survive the accident, and thankful we often were when a fainting fit would, for a time, deaden her pain. Indeed we sometimes felt almost tempted to pray for her release. My brother had arranged with Dr. T― to take his other patients for him that he might devote his whole time to Lotty; in fact, he never left the house day or night. Poor Harry, too! No one seemed to have time to think of that dear boy, and yet his love and grief for his sister were pitiable to witness. Many a night have I found him crouched down outside the door upon the ground, waiting till he might creep to her bedside, and be permitted to kneel down and kiss her little thin white hand as it rested on the counterpane, deluging it with tears. Mr Coulson had kindly written to Dr. Dobson and