92 DEEPER AND DEEPER.

noon, and it was terribly slippery, as well as cold,
The gigs drove off, agreeing, on account of the bad
State of the roads, to keep incompany. Williams
and Jessie were last. Perhaps Williams might be the
worst driver in the company; perhaps, and most
probably, his horse was the worst conditioned ; how-
ever that might be, within the first two miles their
companions got farahead of them, and with every mile
their horse seemed to become stiffer and clumsier $
at last, down he came, but, fortunately not lower
than his knees, Williams pulled him up again, and
giving him a series of cuts with his whip, broke that
useful instrument, but fortunately sent on his steed,
for a short time, at least, at a much brisker and there-
fore safer pace. Everybody knows what a hopeless
thing it is to drive a dull worn-out horse with a
broken whip ; slower and slower went the creature,
and Williams pommelled with the stump of his whip,
and flapped with his reins till he made himself quite
hot,

“ Ah! if our path through life should be like this,”
sighed poor Jessie; and scarcely had she finished
the sentence when down came the horse flat to
. his nose, with his legs doubled under him. Crash !
went one shaft, and out flew Williams on one side
and poor Jessie on the other. It was a miracle that
they were not both killed or had some bones broken.
Williams spraug to his feet, hardly knowing that he
was down, and with very becoming lover-like anxiety
flew to look after his lady. Fortunately she was
not hurt, not the least in the world, said she eagerly,
in her turn inquiring after him. No, they were not
either of them hurt—only Jessie then confessed to.a
. very little pain in her wrist ; she thought that she -