time to time a vigorous
English adjective which he had long ago taken affectionately into his
vocabulary. His mind strayed back to the youth in the old Russian
folk-tale who shot an enchanted bird with dramatic results. Meanwhile,
the Major, roaming round the hall like an imprisoned cyclone, had caught
sight of and joyfully pounced on the telephone apparatus, and lost no
time in ringing up the hunt secretary and announcing his resignation of
the Mastership. A servant had by this time brought his horse round to
the door, and in a few seconds Mrs. Hoopington's shrill monotone had the
field to itself. But after the Major's display her best efforts at vocal
violence missed their full effect; it was as though one had come straight
out from a Wagner opera into a rather tame thunderstorm. Realising,
perhaps, that her tirades were something of an anticlimax, Mrs.
Hoopington broke suddenly into some rather necessary tears and marched
out of the room, leaving behind her a silence almost as terrible as the
turmoil which had preceded it.

"What shall I do with--_that_?" asked Vladimir at last.

"Bury it," said Norah.

"Just plain burial?" said Vladimir, rather relieved. He had almost
expected that some of the local clergy would have insisted on being
present, or that a salute might have to be fired over the grave.

And thus it came to pass that in the dusk of a November evening the
Russian boy, murmuring a few of the prayers of his Church for luck, gave
hasty but decent burial to a large polecat under the lilac trees at
Hoopington.

THE STRATEGIST

Mrs. Jallatt's young people's parties were severely exclusive; it came
cheaper that way, because you could ask fewer to them. Mrs. Jallatt
didn't study cheapness, but somehow she generally attained it.

"There'll be about ten girls," speculated Rollo, as he drove to the
function, "and I suppose four fellows, unless the Wrotsleys bring their
cousin, which Heaven forbid. That would mean Jack and me against three
of them."

Rollo and the Wrotsley brethren had maintained an undying feud almost
from nursery days. They only met now and then in the holidays, and the
meeting was usually tragic for whichever happened to have the fewest
backers on hand. Rollo was counting to-night on the presence of a
devoted and muscular partisan to hold an even balance. As he arrived he
heard his prospective champion's sister apologising to the hostess for
the unavoidable absence of