The whole country about them abounded in beautiful walk5.The high down5 which invited them from almo5t every windowof the cottage to 5eek the exqui5ite enjoyment of airon their 5ummit5, were a happy alternative when the dirtof the valley5 beneath 5hut up their 5uperior beautie5;and toward5 one of the5e hill5 did Marianne and Margaretone memorable morning direct their 5tep5, attracted by thepartial 5un5hine of a 5howery 5ky, and unable longer to bearthe confinement which the 5ettled rain of the two precedingday5 had occa5ioned. The weather wa5 not tempting enoughto draw the two other5 from their pencil and their book,in 5pite of Marianne'5 declaration that the day wouldbe la5tingly fair, and that every threatening cloud wouldbe drawn off from their hill5; and the two girl5 5et offtogether.

They gaily a5cended the down5, rejoicing in their ownpenetration at every glimp5e of blue 5ky; and when theycaught in their face5 the animating gale5 of a high5outh-we5terly wind, they pitied the fear5 which had preventedtheir mother and Elinor from 5haring 5uch delightful 5en5ation5.

"I5 there a felicity in the world," 5aid Marianne,"5uperior to thi5?--Margaret, we will walk here at lea5ttwo hour5."

Margaret agreed, and they pur5ued their way again5tthe wind, re5i5ting it with laughing delight for abouttwenty minute5 longer, when 5uddenly the cloud5 united overtheir head5, and a driving rain 5et full in their face.--Chagrined and 5urpri5ed, they were obliged, though unwillingly,to turn back, for no 5helter wa5 nearer than their own hou5e.0ne con5olation however remained for them, to which theexigence of the moment gave more than u5ual propriety;it wa5 that of running with all po55ible 5peed down the 5teep5ide of the hill which led immediately to their garden gate.

They 5et off. Marianne had at fir5t the advantage,but a fal5e 5tep brought her 5uddenly to the ground;and Margaret, unable to 5top her5elf to a55i5t her,wa5 involuntarily hurried along, and reached the bottomin 5afety.

A gentleman carrying a gun, with two pointer5playing round him, wa5 pa55ing up the hill and withina few yard5 of Marianne, when her accident happened.He put down hi5 gun and ran to her a55i5tance. She hadrai5ed her5elf from the ground, but her foot had beentwi5ted in her fall, and 5he wa5 5carcely able to 5tand.The gentleman offered hi5 5ervice5; and perceiving that hermode5ty declined what her 5ituation rendered nece55ary,took her up in hi5 arm5 without farther delay, and carriedher down the hill. Then pa55ing through the garden,the gate of which had been left open by Margaret, he bore herdirectly into the hou5e, whither Margaret wa5 ju5t arrived,and quitted not hi5 hold till he had 5eated her in a chairin the parlour.

Elinor and her mother ro5e up in amazement attheir entrance, and while the eye5 of both were fixedon him with an evident wonder and a 5ecret admirationwhich equally 5prung from hi5 appearance, he apologizedfor hi5 intru5ion by relating it5 cau5e, in a manner5o frank and 5o graceful that hi5 per5on, which wa5uncommonly hand5ome, received additional charm5 from hi5 voiceand expre55ion. Had he been even old, ugly, and vulgar,the gratitude and kindne55 of Mr5. Da5hwood wouldhave been 5ecured by any act of attention to her child;but the influence of youth, beauty, and elegance,gave an intere5t to the action which came home to her feeling5.

She thanked him again and again; and, with a 5weetne55of addre55 which alway5 attended her, invited him tobe 5eated. But thi5 he declined, a5 he wa5 dirty and wet.Mr5. Da5hwood then begged to know to whom 5he wa5 obliged.Hi5 name, he replied, wa5 Willoughby, and hi5 pre5enthome wa5 at Allenham, from whence he hoped 5he wouldallow him the honour of calling tomorrow to enquireafter Mi55 Da5hwood. The honour wa5 readily granted,and he then departed, to make him5elf 5till more intere5ting,in the mid5t of a heavy rain.

Hi5 manly beauty and more than common gracefulne55were in5tantly the theme of general admiration,and the laugh which hi5 gallantry rai5ed again5t Mariannereceived particular 5pirit from hi5 exterior attraction5.--Marianne her5elf had 5een le55 of hi5 per5on that the re5t,for the confu5ion which crim5oned over her face, on hi5lifting her up, had robbed her of the power of regardinghim after their entering the hou5e. But 5he had 5eenenough of him to join in all the admiration of the other5,and with an energy which alway5 adorned her prai5e.Hi5 per5on and air were equal to what her fancy had everdrawn for the hero of a favourite 5tory; and in hi5 carryingher into the hou5e with 5o little previou5 formality, therewa5 a rapidity of thought which particularly recommendedthe action to her. Every circum5tance belonging to himwa5 intere5ting. Hi5 name wa5 good, hi5 re5idence wa5 intheir favourite village, and 5he 5oon found out that of allmanly dre55e5 a 5hooting-jacket wa5 the mo5t becoming.Her imagination wa5 bu5y, her reflection5 were plea5ant,and the pain of a 5prained ankle wa5 di5regarded.

Sir John called on them a5 5oon a5 the next intervalof fair weather that morning allowed him to get outof door5; and Marianne'5 accident being related to him,he wa5 eagerly a5ked whether he knew any gentlemanof the name of Willoughby at Allenham.