f into Volaterrae as quickly as a shadow.

'A sling on a forked stick. I understand!' he cried, and pulled at the
elastic. 'But what wonderful beast yields this stretching leather?'

'It's laccy--elastic. You put the bullet into that loop, and then you
pull hard.'

The man pulled, and hit himself square on his thumb-nail.

'Each to his own weapon,' he said gravely, handing it back. 'I am better
with the bigger machine, little maiden. But it's a pretty toy. A wolf
would laugh at it. Aren't you afraid of wolves?'

'There aren't any,' said Una.

'Never believe it! A wolf's like a Winged Hat. He comes when he isn't
expected. Don't they hunt wolves here?'

'We don't hunt,' said Una, remembering what she had heard from grown-ups.
'We preserve--pheasants. Do you know them?'

'I ought to,' said the young man, smiling again, and he imitated the cry
of the cock-pheasant so perfectly that a bird answered out of the wood.

'What a big painted clucking fool is a pheasant!' he said. 'Just like
some Romans.'

'But you're a Roman yourself, aren't you?' said Una.

'Ye-es and no. I'm one of a good few thousands who have never seen Rome
except in a picture. My people have lived at Vectis for generations.
Vectis--that island West yonder that you can see from so far in clear
weather.'

'Do you mean the Isle of Wight? It lifts up just before rain, and you
see it from the Downs.'

'Very likely. Our villa's on the South edge of the Island, by the Broken
Cliffs. Most of it is three hundred years old, but the cow-stables,
where our first ancestor lived, must be a hundred years older. Oh, quite
that, because the founder of our family had his land given him by
Agricola at the Settlement. It's not a bad little place for its size. In
spring-time violets grow down to the very beach. I've gathered sea-weeds
for myself and violets for my Mother many a time with our old nurse.'

'Was your nurse a--a Romaness too?'

'No, a Numidian. Gods be good to her! A dear, fat, brown thing with a
tongue like a cowbell. She was a free woman. By the way, are you free,
maiden?'

'Oh, quite,' said Una. 'At least, till tea-time; and in summer our
governess doesn't say much if we're late.'

The young man laughed again--a proper understanding laugh.

'I see,' said he. 'That accounts for your being in the wood. _We_ hid
among the cliffs.'

'Did you have a governess, then?'

'Did we not? A Greek, too. She had a way of clutching her dress when she
hu