The appearance of the country did not differ much from that through which he passed the day previous; and long before he reached the end of his eighty-miles' ride, his attention began to flag, and his eyes to grow weary.

It was about eleven o'clock, when they arrived at the depot at which they were to leave the train.

Here they had an opportunity to rest an hour, and to take dinner, before resuming their journey.
After dinner, the stage-coach made its appearance, and the passengers began to stow themselves away within it, Oscar mounted the outside, and took a seat with the driver, with whom he was soon on intimate terms.
All things being ready, the horses started, at the familiar "Get up!" and they were on their way toward Brookdale.
The horses did not prove quite so smart as Oscar hoped they would, and the coach was a heavy and hard-riding concern, compared with those he was accustomed to ride upon at home.

But the road was good, though hilly, and the scenery, much of the way, was very pleasant.

The driver, too, was quite talkative, and Oscar being the only outside passenger, enjoyed the full benefit of his communicativeness.
Occasionally they passed through a village, with its rows of neat white houses, its tall church steeple, its bustling store, and its groups of children playing in the streets.