"Are you better, my good man?” inquired John Hardy.

Peter gave no direct reply; but Toby took upon himself the responsibility of returning an answer by giving a wink conveying an affirmative.

"He's coming round, Sir," said Mike; "an't ye, my hearty?" continued he, addressing the razor-grinder, by hallooing as loudly as he could close to his ears.

"Ye-yes," replied Peter, placing, as if by instinct, a hand over the ear, ringing with the roar from the earth-stopper's stout and lusty voice.

In two or three minutes the discomfited Peter was enabled to rise, and, with the exception of a few slight contusions, no grievous calamity had befallen his person to awaken that priceless offering to the afflicted-tender sympathy.

"I cannot sufficiently express my regret that I should have been the cause of any accident

to you," said John Hardy; " but I assure you," continued he, earnestly, "that it was far from being intentional on my part."

"I don't doubt that, Sir," replied Peter Parkins, drawing his hands over his eyes, as if to obtain a clearer vision of the party addressing him, and then, turning a look upon the upset and fallen machine, he shook his head dejectedly and even sorrowfully.

"Oh!" said John, anticipating the cause of the not-to-be-mistaken movement of the razorgrinder's head, "I'll make good any loss that you may have received to your—” John was at a loss to describe the peripatetic and rotatory piece of invention, which, in a slightly damaged condition, lay before him, and so he added, " utensil."

Peter Parkins sighed heavily.

Toby dropped his tail, and, hanging his jaws between his fore-legs, looked as tame and spiritless a picture of canine wo, as can be pencilled to the most vivid imagination.

"I shall be quite content, Sir, with what you will give me," returned Peter; "I'm a poor old man, and cannot afford to lose by a mischance of this kind, but I don't want to make any profit out of it."

"Honest creature!" whispered John Hardy to himself.

"He's brick and mortar, Sir," observed Mike, admiringly, in an under-tone to his panothing but brick and mortar!" con

tron;

66

tinued he.

"What did your utensil cost?" inquired John.

"When new,” replied the razor-grinder, “it cost me a matter of three-pound-ten."

Without another observation, John Hardy dived a hand into the secret recesses of some lateral portion of his attire, and extracted five bright guineas.

"There," said he, placing the broad gold pieces into the itching palm of Peter Parkins, "I trust that will compensate you; and if

you should feel any ill effects from the concussion, pray come to the Range, and every attention to your health shall be shown to you."

"I return many grateful thanks, Sir," responded the razor-grinder, accepting the money, while his eyes twinkled with pleasure, and making a succession of profound reve

rences.

Toby, as in duty bound, gave a skip, after the fashion of an opera dancer, to insure attention, and then effected a bow, which might be imitated to advantage by many a more ill-mannered dog.

"Hark!" ejaculated Mike, pointing with a straightened finger to a particular quarter. Hark," repeated he.

66

There was a dead silence for a few seconds.

"That's them," said the earth-stopper. "I thought the Limestone-quarries would be his point. Jump up, Sir, and we'll show 'em what it is to be in the first flight."

"What do you mean?" innocently inquired

his patron.

"The hounds will cross Reby Downs at the end of this lane directly," replied Mike. "Don't say another word, Sir, but jump up."

With an effort, John Hardy gained the saddle, and Mike, after hissing the words, “ Be at the kennel at nightfall," to the razorgrinder, urged Blossom to his best speed, to regain the time lost by the accident.

In a few score yards from the spot of the adventure just detailed, the squabby cob emerged from the lane on to a spacious and sterile heath. It was almost as flat and level as a bowlinggreen for a great distance; but at certain intervals there were large open ditches, and long flights of rails, for the purpose of preventing the cattle belonging to different proprietors from straying on to the land over which they had no right to crop or graze the scanty herbage.

"Pull up, Sir," said the earth-stopper; "we