Past  the  length  of  the  shining  fields,  well  back
from  the  road,  with  a  fine  curve  of  avenue  between
lofty  pine-trees  leading  up  to  it,  stood  Doctor  Pres-
cott^s  house.  It  was  much  the  finest  one  in  the  vil-
lage, massively  built  of  gray  stone  in  large  irregular
blocks,  veined  at  the  junctions  with  white  stucco ;  a
great  white  pillared  piazza  stretched  across  the  front,
and  three  flights  of  stone  steps  led  over  smooth  ter-
races to  it ;  for  it  was  raised  on  an  artificial  elevation
above  the  road-level.  Jerome,  having  passed  the  last
field,  reached  the  avenue  leading  to  the  doctor's  house,
and  stopped  a  moment.  His  hands  and  feet  were
cold ;  there  was  a  nervous  trembling  all  over  his  little
body.  He  remembered  how  once,  when  he  was  much
younger,  his  mother  had  sent  him  to  the  doctor's  to
have  a  tooth  pulled,  how  he  stood  there  trembling
and  hesitating  as  now,  and  how  he  finally  took  mat-
ters into  his  own  hands.  A  thrill  of  triumph  shot
over  him  even  then,  as  he  recalled  that  mad  race  of  his


avaj  Dp  the  road,  oa  and  on  until  he  came  to  C
woods,  and  the  tying  of  the  offending  tooth  to  an  oak-
tree  by  a  stoat  cord,  and  the  agonized  but  nndaimted
pnlling  thereat  nntil  his  object  was  gained.
"  I'd  'nongh  sight  rather  go  to  an  oak-tree  to  have
my  tooth  out  than  to  Doctor  PreBcott."  he  had  said,
GtoQtly,  being  questioned  on  his  return  ;  and  his  fa-
ther and  mother,  being  rather  taken  at  a  loss  by  such
defiance  and  disobedience,  scarcely  knew  whether  to
praise  or  blame.
