mass of scratches from the hare's pounding feet. He began to
look at them, but Toby thrust them behind her back. She choked back her
tears like a boy, and looked up at him with eyes of burning indignation,
sitting back on her heels in the long grass.

"Bunny, it's a damn' shame to trap a thing like that. Did you do it?"

"I? No. I'm not a poacher." Grimly Bunny made reply. That flare of anger
made her somehow beautiful, but he knew if he yielded to the temptation
to take her in his arms at that moment she would never forgive him.
"Don't be unreasonable!" he said. "You'll have to come and bathe your
hands. They can't be left in that state."

"Oh, what does it matter?" she said impatiently. "I've had much worse
things than that to bear. Bunny, you believe in God I know. Why does He
let things be trapped? It isn't fair. It isn't right. It--it--it hurts
so."

"Lots of things hurt," said Bunny.

"Yes, but there's nothing so mean and so horrible as a trap. I--I could
kill the man who set it. I'm glad it wasn't you." Toby spoke
passionately.

"So am I," said Bunny.

He crumpled the wire gin in his hand, and dragged it up from the ground.

Toby watched him still kneeling in the grass. "What are you going to do
with it?"

"Destroy it," he said promptly.

She smiled at him, the tears still on her cheeks. "That's fine of you.
Bunny, I haven't got a handkerchief."

He gave her his, still looking grim. She dried her eyes and got up. The
hare, recovering somewhat, gave her a frightened stare and slipped away
into the undergrowth. She looked up at Bunny.

"I'm sorry I was angry," she said. "Are you cross with me?"

He relaxed a little. "Not particularly."

"Don't be!" she said tremulously. "I couldn't help it. He suffered so
horribly, and I know--I know so well what it felt like."

"How do you know?" said Bunny.

Her look fell before his. She made an odd movement of shrinking. He put
his arm swiftly round her.

"Never mind the wretched hare! He's got away this time anyway. And I'm
not at all sure you didn't have the worst of it. Feeling better now?"

She nodded. "Yes, much better. I like you, Bunny, but I can't help
thinking you're rather cruel. You didn't want to kill the poor thing?"

"I think it was rather prolonging the agony to let him live," said Bunny.
"Let me see your hands!"

She tried to hide them, but he was insistent, and at length impulsively
she yielded.

"You must come down to old Bishop's and