Down in the Dark Vale

Sybil silently took her seat, leaving the others to follow her example.
Mr. Berners politely put Mrs. Blondelle in the left-hand corner, and
then seated himself in the middle seat, between his wife and her guest.

In front of them, on the movable central seat, sat Mrs. Blondelle's
child and nurse. Facing them on the front seat, with their backs to the
horses, were the two negro servants, Mr. Berners' valet and Mrs.
Berners' maid.

Though the morning was a very fine one for travelling, there were no
other passengers inside, or out. Mr. Berners and his party had the whole
coach to themselves, at least, at starting.

Sybil thought she had never seen her husband in gayer spirits. As the
horses started and the coach rattled along over the stony streets of the
city, Mr. Berners turned smilingly to Mrs. Blondelle, and said: "I know of few pleasanter things in this pleasant world than a journey
through our native State of Virginia, taken at this delightful season of
the year; and of all routes I know of none affording such a variety of
beautiful and sublime scenery as this we are now starting upon."

"How long will it take you to reach your beautiful home?" sweetly
inquired Rosa Blondelle.

"We might reach it in two days, if we were to travel day and night; but
we shall be four days on the road, as we propose to put up at some
roadside inn or village each night," answered Lyon Berners.

Meanwhile the coach rattled out of the city and into the open country,
where the landscape was fair, well-wooded, well-watered, but not
striking.