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12 WILD MARGARET.
As he stood hesitating, the fly crawled up with the bay:
the man had pulled up within view of the fight, and had
enjoyed it thoroughly. .
“Here, wait! I'll go back with you! I’ve decided to
stay at your place for the night,” said the young fellow;
and he jumped in. . .
‘Not hurt, I hope, sir?’’ said the man, as he turned ~
the horse. ‘It was aright down good fight, sir; it was,
indeed!”
‘‘Not a bit! There, hurry up that four-legged skeleton
of yours! I’mas hungry as a—a—savage,”’ he concluded,
as if by a happy inspiration, and throwing himself along
the cushions, he laughed, but rather uneasily.
CHAPTER II.
Tur girl, without looking behind her or vouchsafing .
even a glance of farewell, walked on until she reached the
great iron gates. There she rang the bell which hung like ~
a huge iron tear, within reach of her hand, and on the
lodge-keeper coming out, inquired if Mrs. Hale were in,
‘*Mrs. Hale? Yes, miss; she isup at the house,’’ said
the woman. ‘‘ You are Miss Margaret, I expect?”
‘*Yes,’’ said the girl; ‘‘my name is Margaret.. I am
Mrs. Hale’s granddaughter.”’ :
‘*She has been expecting you, miss. Keep along the
avenue and you'll come to the small gates and see tho
Court. There are sure to be some of the servants about,
and they’ll tell you whereabouts Mrs. Hale’s rooms are,”
The great gate swung heavily back, and~ Margaret
passed through. The avenue wound in and about for
nearly half a mile, and she was thinking that she should
never get to the end of it, when at a sudden turn a sight
broke upon her which caused her to stop with astonish-
ment.
As if it had sprung from_the ground, raised by a magi-
cian’s wand, rose Leyton Court. You can buy any num.’
ber of photographs of it, and are no doubt quite familiar
with its long stretching pile of red bricks and white fac-
ings; but Margaret had seen neither the place nor any
views of it, and the vision of grandeur and. beauty took
her breath away.
Far down the line of sight the facade stretched, wing
upon wing, all glowing a dusky red veiled by ivy and Vir.
ginian creeper, and sparkling here and there as the sunset:
rays shone on the diamond-latticed windows. The most
intense silence reigned over the whole; not a human being
was in sight, and the girl was quite startled when a pea-