They had not gone much farther when, just as they approached the paling of a paddock, a horse which had been turned into the fenced field to graze came sailing over the fence, and would presently have been ranging free. Unaccustomed to horses, except when equipped and held ready by the hand of the groom, the ladies and children started and jumped back. Vavasor also stepped a little aside, making way for the animal. But as he alighted from his jump, carrying with him the top bar of the fence, the horse stumbled and almost fell. While he was yet a little bewildered, the major hurried up to him, and before the animal could recover his wits, had him by the nose and ear and was leading him to the gap in the fence. He made the horse jump in again and replaced the bar that had been knocked off.

“Thank you! How brave of you, major Marvel!” said Mrs. Raymount.

The major laughed with his usual merriment.

“If it had been the horse of the Rajah of Rumtool,” he said, “I should have been brave indeed! Only by this time there would have been nothing left of me to thank. A man would have needed courage to take him by the head! But a quiet, good-tempered carriage-horse like this one none but a cockney would be frightened of him!”

With that, to the delight of the children, he began telling them the most amazing and, indeed, horrible tales about the Rajah’s horse as they continued their walk. Whether it was all true or not I cannot tell. All I can say is that the major only told what he heard and believed, or had himself seen.

Vavasor was annoyed with himself for the very natural nervousness he had shown, for it was nothing more, and turned his annoyance on the major, who, by such an insignificant display of coolness had gained a great advantage over him in the eyes of the ladies.

Following the course of the river, the group gradually descended from the higher grounds to the immediate banks, which spread out into a small meadow on each side. There were not now many flowers, but Saffy was pulling stalks of feathery-headed grasses, while Mark was walking quietly along by the brink of the stream, stopping every now and then to look into it. The bank was covered with long grass hanging over, here and there a bush of rushes amongst it. On the opposite side lower down was a meal-mill, and nearly opposite, a little below, was the head of the mill-lade, whose weir, turning the water into it, dammed back the river, and made it deeper here than in any other part—some seven feet at least, and that close to the shore. It was still as a lake, and looked, as deep as it was.