ft an arm behind?' inquired Binks.

'Yes, I did,' rejoined Geoff. 'He's up at the house yonder, in the
study, telling the vicar how it was done. Mrs. Vesey didn't know; she
told me about the bullfinches, but she couldn't say how the arm was
lost. I should say it must have been nipped off by a Polar bear,
shouldn't you, Binks?' Geoff's eyes protruded excitedly as he mentally
pictured the suggested nip.

'Polar bear? Hum! Well, it might ha' bin. I never fancied bears.
There's a deal o' low cunning about a bear; no slapdash courage, so to
say, same's there's in a lion or a leopard, but jes' a cruel, slow,
deliberate intention to kill, like a nor'-east wind as blights and
nips, sure as sure. Once, I remember, there was a travellin' bear came
Northbourne way. 'Twas when I was a b'y, same's your two selves. This
yere bear had a man with it, a mounseer, to judge from his tongue. He
wasn't a bad chap, and couldn't well help bein' a Frenchy. He wasn't
never unkind to the bear; he fed him, and saw to his straw bed o'
nights, same's the creature was his own child. But as I've said, there
ain't no nice feelin' about a bear; you can't win 'em, nohow.'

'Well, but what happened?' impatiently broke in Alick. 'Did the bear
do anything?'

'I'm a-comin' to that, muster, if you'll give me time; but you're the
hurryin' sart, you are. I should think as the teacher-genelman must
have his work laid out to keep up with you, you be so mortal anxious to
learn.'

Alick reddened, and glared down at Binks's unruffled countenance; but
he forbore to retort, recognising that the old man's powers of repartee
were superior to his own.

'Oh, come on, please do!' persuasively said Geoff, thrilling to hear
the sequel of Binks's story.

'Well, as I was sayin',' Binks relented and went on, ''twas when I was
a b'y, and a rare fuss it did make. I was one as saw the thing with my
own eyes. That mounseer chap had divided his dinner with the bear one
day; the greedy baste had swallowed his own share, and was watching his
master out of them cunning eyes bears has. Of a suddent he clawed away
the victuals and bolted them; then there was a shriek from poor
Frenchy, and we all saw as the bear had him in a grim death-hug. I
tell you it took a few Northbourne men to separate them two, and when
'twas done, I don't forget the sorry sight the unfortunit' man was.
There warn't no hospitals nor nothin' in them days, and the doctor he
had a tough