She was so weak she could scarcely stand, and once having left the carriage she sank down on a flat rock, her breast heaving with emotion.
Robert tied the team fast to a nearby tree, and then came to her side.
"You are not hurt, are you?" he asked anxiously.
"I--I believe not," she faltered. "But, oh, Robert, we had a very narrow escape!"
"That is so, Mrs. Vernon."
"Had the carriage gone over the cliff nothing could have saved us from death!"
"Yes, it would have been a nasty fall."
"And that man who scared the team----" She paused. "Do you imagine----" She could go no further.
"Let us talk about that later on, Mrs. Vernon," he put in hastily. "You had better rest here while I see how much the carriage is damaged."
Our hero made the examination, and speedily found that the wheel was too badly shattered to permit the turnout being used again until it was repaired.