Vixen

se of a fine weather. The heavens, which had been so unpropitious upon his birthday, seemed to promise better things to-day. He did not desire the trad

lawn and shrubberies. Two huge marquees had been erected for the commonalty - one for the school-children, the other for the villagers. There were long tables in the billiard-room for the farming class; and for t

oticed the

?" he asked, with some surprise; "the pitc

quietly; "there is always a risk of their being killed, or some of your sporting friends might be picking my p

re is plenty to eat, I don't suppo

ed away at boar's head and truffled turkey, sent champagne corks flying, and added more dead men to the formidable corps of tall hock bottles, dressed in uniform brown, which the astonished butler ranged rank

ways been popular at Ashbourne. It was his own place, his particular selection, bought with his

e the hall-door, welcoming the new-comers, "I should have been a happy man. Well, I suppose I must be satisfied

gure showed to advantage amidst the crowd. His smile lit up the dark sunburnt face like sunshine. He had a kind word, a friendly hand-clasp for everybody - even for gaffers and goodies who had hobbl

only rode into the grounds at half-past twelve, when everyone else had breakfasted. Mrs. Tempest ha

at a year ago. To-day Miss Tempest wore a dark brown habit, moulded to the full erect figure, with a narrow rim of white at the t

the little rider in dark brown on the bright bay horse, the daintily quilted saddle, the gauntleted ha

directly she and Rorie had shaken

ie, patting the horse's shoul

got the brush one day after a hard run when almost everybody else was left behind, and papa

y humil

nut thoroughbred, severely costumed

ie. "Mabel, this is Miss Tempest, whom you've heard

Then the two girls bowed and smiled: a constrained smile

ou come out, Vixen, Lady Mabel will take you under her wing. She k

encouraging. Vixen stole a glance at her rival. Yes, she was very pretty - a delicate patrician beauty which Vixen had never seen before. No wonder Rorie was in love with her. Where else could he have seen anything so exquisite? It was t

. "He is like my brother; and a brother would not hide his

Vixen, who did not care much for Lady Jane Vawdrey, was glad to escape with no further communication than a smile an

ather were ridi

papa. Is your head

fresh air will blow it away presently, I daresay. You're not look

ars rushing into her eyes. "Shall we go home together? You're not well, an

im-legged chestnut went through as many manoeuvres as if he had been do

work, but people like to see me to the fore. We shall find down in Dingle

cousin out of bogs and dangers of all kinds. They killed at last on a wild bit of common near Beaulieu, and there were only a few in at the death, amongst them Vixen on her fast young bay, flushed w

pa," said Vixen, as the

behaved beautifully. I don't think I made a bad choice for you. Rorie and his cousin were miles behind, I daresa

met Roderick alone. His cousin

as he turned his horse's head and rode by Vixe

ok them presently, and Mr. Tempest rode on by his side, talking agricultural talk

g gray, between woods where solitary robins carolled sweetly, or the rare

his want of confidence, for his unfriendly reserve. Yet this was the one happy hour

njoyed the ru

er personality in a vague plural. "If you had cared you would have been with us. Sultan

ter half of me, would have been with you, Vixen; but I was bo

tle toss of her head; "it would have be

. You ought to have told me you were going to be married." But something restrained her. She patted her horse's neck, l

at which their roads parted, bu

d Vixen, pointing down the cross-ro

est way. I am going to t

to say Don't, but I think

have a by-da

ess as in a shadowy under-world. They rode silently over the thick wet carpet of fallen leaves, the horses starting a little now and then at the aspect of a newly-barked trunk lying white across the track. They were silent, having, in sooth, very little to say t

of the gate at the end of the enclo

e?" she asked; "look how

he fall was so sudden and so heavy, that the horse fell with him, and then scrambled up on to his fe

ike a log, face downwards upon the sodden leaves just inside the gate. The farmer

se throw him? - Bullfinch, his favourite horse. Is he mu

th her beside the prostrate Squire, trying to raise

ss," said the farmer. "I

. "Oh, papa, papa --

mbling like a leaf, and turning a whi

ied; "you won't let him lie there and die for want of help. Some b

s kneeling down by the Squire. Roderick had lifted the heavy head, and turned the ghastly fac

e whispered to John Wimble, the

was gazing into that awful face distractedly - half divining its solemn meaning - yet watching for the kind eyes to

rry you well enough. You don't know how strong he is - go, quick - quick - Dr. Martin, at Lyndhurst - it's a long way,

e'd never carry such a heavy weight as me, and my cob is dead beat. Yo

rom one to the

she said. "You go - yes - g

strong enough to overrule. They tried their utmost to persuade her, but in vain. She was fixed as a new Niobe - a stony image of young despair. So Roderick mounted his horse and rode off towards Lyndhurst,

in Violet's mind, but she gave it no definite shape. She would not say to herself, "My father is dead." The position in which he

way; but Violet had seen her father look like that sometimes as he slept, with open mouth, before the hall fire. It might be only a long

the gathering dark. Owls began to hoot in the distance, frogs were awaking near at band, belated rabbits flitt

f her burden, but she was hardly conscious of physical pain. It seemed to her that she had been sittin

speaking for the first time since Roderick rode aw

e hasn't had time to r

et! And it has been so long. Papa is gettin

. I do wish you'd le

nconscious! How can you be so cr

ill that wilt be nigh your death. If you would only go home to your mamma, no

" cried Vixen indignantly; "I shall not

branches of the trees, and gave occasional evidence of their impatience. Bullfinch had gon

ses' hoofs on the soft turf. Another minute a

outhampton, who was at the hunt to-day. Violet dear, will you let me t

ered Vixen

sense of power and authority. She looked at him silently, with a despairing appealing look that thrilled him, familiar as he was with such looks. He made

d of litter to carry h

e hands, he separated the living from the dead, lifted

ou home, my dear young lady," he

g," sobbed Violet, "you will b

can be done," answer

e doctor forced a little brandy through the locked lips, and between them Rorie and he placed her in the saddle. She had just consciousness enough by this time to hold the bridle mechanically, and to sit upright on her horse; and thus led by Roderick, she rode slowly back to