"Well, I had entered the Fonthill woods, a mile or two from the house,
and was galloping at full speed through the black darkness which the
lightning only occasionally illumined now, when all at once my horse
struck his chest against something. I heard a cry, and then a dazzling
flash showed me a light carriage which had evidently just been
overturned. I was nearly unseated by the collision, but leaped to the
ground, and at the same moment another flash showed me the form of a
lady whom a man was extricating from the broken vehicle. I hastened to
render my assistance. The lady was lifted in our arms, and then I aided
in raising the fallen horse, who lay on his side, frightened and
kicking violently.
"Ten minutes afterward I was placed in possession of what the lawyers
call 'the facts of the case.' Mr. Mortimer, of Georgia, was travelling
home from the North, with his sick sister in his carriage, for the
benefit of her health. They had lost their way; the storm had caught
them; their carriage had overturned in the darkness,--where could Mr.
Mortimer obtain lodgings for the night? The condition of his sister
rendered it imperative that they should not continue their journey
until morning, even if the storm and broken vehicle permitted.
"I listened, and felt a warm sympathy for the poor sick girl--she was
only a girl of eighteen, and very beautiful.
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