“That’s odd!” murmured the old gentleman.  “Can any thing be the matter, I wonder?” and he gave another steady pull on the reins.  The wagon was jerked forward with such a wrench as almost to throw him backward.  There was no doubt that something was the matter, now.

By this time they were within a quarter of a mile of the Parsonage, and rapidly approaching the sharp bend around the rocky spur of the hill.  Dolly’s skimming hind-legs spurned the road faster and faster, and the fences flickered by in a terrible hurry.  They whisked around the curve with a sharp, grating sound of the wheels on the rock, and the Parsonage lay but a short distance ahead.  Suddenly a white object seemed to rise out of the road not more than a hundred yards in advance.  Dolly, with the bit caught vigorously between her teeth, stretched her neck and head out and ran.  Professor Valeyon, bracing himself with his feet against the dash-board, leaned back with his whole weight and sawed the reins right and left.  When within a few yards of the white object—­which seemed to have fluttered back to one side of the road—­his right rein broke:  he lost his balance and fell over backward into the bottom of the waggon, while Dolly, quite unrestrained, dashed on madly.

The professor had just made up his mind that he stood very little chance of seeing Abbie or his daughters again, when he felt the onward rush suddenly modified.  There were a pawing and snorting, an irregular jerk or two, and then a dead stop.  The old gentleman picked himself up and descended to the ground uninjured beyond a few slight bruises.

Cornelia and Bressant had been pacing the latter part of their way slowly, there being a disinclination on both their parts to come to the end of it.  But they had passed the bend, and were within a few rods of the Parsonage, before Cornelia pressed her companion’s arm, paused, listened, and said: 

“I think I hear him coming:  yes! that’s Dolly—­but how fast she’s going!”

As they stood, arm-in-arm, Bressant was between Cornelia and the approaching vehicle:  but, when it swung around the corner, she stepped forward, thus bringing her white dress suddenly into view.  At the same moment the velocity of the wagon was much increased, and, as it came upon them, both saw the figure on the seat, easily recognizable as the professor, fall over backward.  Bressant, who had been busy freeing the guard of his watch, handed it to Cornelia, at the same time pressing her back to one side.  He then stepped forward in silence, half facing up the road.

Cornelia remained motionless, her hands drawn up beneath her chin:  and while she drew a single trembling breath, and the busy watch ticked away five seconds, the whole act passed before her eyes.  She saw Bressant standing, lightly erect, near the centre of the road, could discern his darkly-clad, well-knit figure, seemingly gigantic in the gloom:  his head turned toward the on-rushing mare, one foot a little