an exaggeration.

Vladimir laughed.

"Oh no; not a _biyelka_."

"Does it swim and eat fish?" asked Norah, with a fervent prayer in her
heart that it might turn out to be an otter.

"No," said Vladimir, busy with the straps of his game-bag; "it lives in
the woods, and eats rabbits and chickens."

Norah sat down suddenly, and hid her face in her hands.

"Merciful Heaven!" she wailed; "he's shot a fox!"

Vladimir looked up at her in consternation. In a torrent of agitated
words she tried to explain the horror of the situation. The boy
understood nothing, but was thoroughly alarmed.

"Hide it, hide it!" said Norah frantically, pointing to the still
unopened bag. "My aunt and the Major will be here in a moment. Throw it
on the top of that chest; they won't see it there."

Vladimir swung the bag with fair aim; but the strap caught in its flight
on the outstanding point of an antler fixed in the wall, and the bag,
with its terrible burden, remained suspended just above the alcove where
tea would presently be laid. At that moment Mrs. Hoopington and the
Major entered the hall.

"The Major is going to draw our covers to-morrow," announced the lady,
with a certain heavy satisfaction. "Smithers is confident that we'll be
able to show him some sport; he swears he's seen a fox in the nut copse
three times this week."

"I'm sure I hope so; I hope so," said the Major moodily. "I must break
this sequence of blank days. One hears so often that a fox has settled
down as a tenant for life in certain covers, and then when you go to turn
him out there isn't a trace of him. I'm certain a fox was shot or
trapped in Lady Widden's woods the very day before we drew them."

"Major, if any one tried that game on in my woods they'd get short
shrift," said Mrs. Hoopington.

Norah found her way mechanically to the tea-table and made her fingers
frantically busy in rearranging the parsley round the sandwich dish. On
one side of her loomed the morose countenance of the Major, on the other
she was conscious of the scared, miserable eyes of Vladimir. And above
it all hung _that_. She dared not raise her eyes above the level of the
tea-table, and she almost expected to see a spot of accusing vulpine
blood drip down and stain the whiteness of the cloth. Her aunt's manner
signalled to her the repeated message to "be bright"; for the present she
was fully occupied in keeping her teeth from chattering.

"What did you shoot to-da