u for killing my bird."

"Is it me, miss?" Pat Murphy exclaimed, appearing with an injured and
innocent look on his face. "Me kill yer burrd! Shure, thin, ye never
thought such a thing uv me!"

"Didn't I, thin! and I think it still," Beth cried. "Say, 'May I never
see heaven if I kilt it'--or I'll curse ye."

"Ah, thin, it isn't such bad language ye'd hev me be using, and you a
young lady, Miss Beth," said Pat in a wheedling tone.

"'Deed, thin, it is, Pat Murphy; but I know ye daresn't say it," said
Beth. "Oh, bad luck to ye! bad luck to ye every day ye see a wooden
milestone, and twice every day ye don't. And if ye killed my bird, may
the devil attend ye, to rob ye of what ye like best wherever ye are."

She slid down the stack when she had spoken, and found her father
standing at the bottom, looking at the dead bird with a heavy frown on
his dark face. He must have heard Beth's altercation with Murphy, but
he made no remark until Mrs. Caldwell came out, when he said something
in Italian, to which she responded, "The cowardly brute!"

Beth took her bird, and buried it deep in her little garden, by which
time the car was ready. She had not shed a tear, nor did she ever
mention the incident afterwards; which was characteristic, for she was
always shy of showing any feeling but anger.

Captain Caldwell had a wild horse called Artless, which few men would
have cared to ride, and fewer still have driven. People wondered that
he took his children out on the car behind such an animal, and perhaps
he would not have done so if he had had his own way, but Mrs. Caldwell
insisted on it.

"They've no base blood in them," she said; "and I'll not have them
allowed to acquire any affectation of timidity."

Artless was particularly fresh that morning. He was a red chestnut,
with a white star on his forehead, and one white stocking.

When Beth returned to the stable-yard she found him fidgeting between
the shafts, with his ears laid back, and the whites of his wicked eyes
showing, and Riley struggling with his head in a hard endeavour to
keep him quiet enough for the family to mount the car. Captain and
Mrs. Caldwell and Mildred were already in their seats, and Beth
scrambled up to hers unconcernedly, although Artless was springing
about in a lively manner at the moment. Beth sat next her father, who
drove from the side of the car, and then they were ready to be off as
soon as Artless would go; but Artless objected to leave