no sign. He walked quietly to the window,
mounted the table without noise, placed his nose under the sash-bar
and raised the light frame until he could put one paw underneath. Then
changing, he put his nose under the sash and raised it high enough to
slip out, easing down the frame finally on his rump and tail with an
adroitness that told of long practice. Then he disappeared into the
darkness.

From her couch Huldah watched in amazement. After waiting for some time
to make sure that he was gone, she arose, intending to call her father
at once, but on second thought she decided to await more conclusive
proof. She peered into the darkness, but no sign of Wully was to be
seen. She put more wood on the fire, and lay down again. For over an
hour she lay wide awake listening to the kitchen clock, and starting at
each trifling sound, and wondering what the dog was doing. Could it
be possible that he had really killed the widow's sheep? Then the
recollection of his gentleness to their own sheep came, and completed
her perplexity.

Another hour slowly tick-tocked. She heard a slight sound at the window
that made her heart jump. The scratching sound was soon followed by the
lifting of the sash, and in a short time Wully was back in the kitchen
with the window closed behind him.

By the flickering fire-light Huldah could see a strange, wild gleam in
his eye, and his jaws and snowy breast were dashed with fresh blood. The
dog ceased his slight panting as he scrutinized the girl. Then, as
she did not move, he lay down, and began to lick his paws and muzzle,
growling lowly once or twice as though at the remembrance of some recent
occurrence.

Huldah had seen enough. There could no longer be any doubt that Jo was
right and more--a new thought flashed into her quick brain, she realized
that the weird fox of Monsal was before her. Raising herself, she looked
straight at Wully, and exclaimed:

"Wully! Wully! so it's a' true--oh, Wully, ye terrible brute."

Her voice was fiercely reproachful, it rang in the quiet kitchen, and
Wully recoiled as though shot. He gave a desperate glance toward the
closed window. His eye gleamed, and his mane bristled. But he cowered
under her gaze, and grovelled on the floor as though begging for mercy.
Slowly he crawled nearer and nearer, as if to lick her feet, until quite
close, then, with the fury of a tiger, but without a sound, he sprang
for her throat.

The girl was taken unawares, but she th