Year: 1866

(; ground gave way, but friendly beech
root below held good, and he fell foremos
: by main strength on shore, and on th
J right side. He was hardly sensible fo
, the next few minutes and when he rose
painting he could scarcely bear to 60 nea
the foaming brink again but it was hi
best hope, and he ensconced himself in tht
roots of the beech, with his gun reversed
in his hand He could hear the growl o
the hound, now on the crest Of the knoll
whence he had just himself come down
the clouds were gathering again over the
moon, but enough light was left to see the
huge and dreaded brute come in sight a
his slow, unerring trot and pause on the
edge before making his spring, for he saw
his man. Now or never AS he sprang
Maurice amid tremendous blow at hin
with the butt-end of his gun, and with q
frightful yell he fell into the boiling seeth
ing whirlpool Maurice shook from head
to foot with rage and fatigue, and sort
of misery at his deed his sportsman ma
ture could not bear to have killed dog as
he would wild beast it was a sort ot
high treason in woodcraft and besides
he remembered how Rachel used to fondle
him. The dog never reappeared, and sad
ly he turned home, footsore and completely
beat


His father, who had gone out with the
'powney" had reached home before him,
and was anxiously on the watch. When
the keepers came up to the house, both
father and son were in bed but, although
| Leverton felt certain that Maurice was the
culprit, no one had seen him, there was
| not tbo eli
and as Leverton had taken the dog with
out leave, he was not anxious to make
much fuss about its death, lest the blame
should fall on him. So the thing blew over,
but he hated Maurice all the worse for the
failure of his nights work. . .


1t had been great lesson for Maurice
himself. He began to mistrust his father,
to see that whatever might be the abstract
right and wrong of poaching, it never
would enable him to win Rachel, and that
he was playing his rivals game with the
old clerk most satisfactorily. Regular
work was slack, but to keep himself out
of mischief, he hired himself as carekeeper
to farmer four miles off, and the winter
passed quietly away. He was now hardly
ever at home, for he was off by daylight
and home long after dark but somehow
Loverton was convinced that he and Rach-
el met if only for minute at time.


With all his care he could not come upon
them, but sometimes she looked little
brighter, and her steps were more light,
and then Leverton, whose senses were
sharpened by jealousy, could have told
pretty nearly to an hour when they had
come together.


1t was long and hard winter to poor
Rachel but spring came at last, and Maui
rice's six months were over his master
wanted him no more, and he returned home
| for time. ..............,


1t was beautiful May. The apple and
cherry orchards were sheets of blossom,
May and yellow broom and "fuzzen" scented
the air, the ground was perfect carpet OF
anemones, blue harebells, and primroses,
| 'While the blackbird and the thrush,


Good morrow said from brake and bush,'


and Maurice and Rachel, like the birds,
could not but be glad too in their spring,
and feel convinced that all must go right
with their love- Look at you," he said,
as they stood hand in hand one day, "un-
der the hawthorn in the dale" He pointed
to a chafinch flying with a long straw in
its beak to make its nest. They've a-had
hard winter too, but it be all acome right
with um, and they're abuilding their nest
eses as we shall soon ourn, Rachel" She
smiled a happy smile and turned to go.
"What art theu adoin' of tomorrow 7" said
Maurice " art agoing to Mrs. Strange's?'
No, not tomorrow, on'y Thursday" "And
what time wilt thou be acoming whuom,
for my feyther be aworkin' up by Long
dean, and l allus come back that way if SO
be / can. | love the grove, and I'd be
there to take thee back at any time thou
bidd'st." They settled the hour, and she
tripped off home. There had been another
! listener.


o. Thursday Rachel made good haste
with her work Mrs. Strange had never
known her so anxious to have done. She
was rather a fussy old body, however, and
it was past five before Rachel was able to
get away She had flurried herself by her
haste, and only breathed freely when she
came to the grove of tall beech.


The beauty of. the forest in pring is in.
describable the sort of pink bloom on the
oak before the leaves come out, the bright
| green VI tuc younS ueeSH-puuS JUST DuISt-
ing the emerald moss and the curled brack-
en- before it opens, looking like regiment
of bishops croziers I; nothing else grows
under beech, but wherever there is an
opening, there lies whole garland of
flowers, rare orchises, and crowfoot and
violets, and tall thorns covered with show
ers of bloom crowning the whole. 1t was
here that Maurice had met her nearly two
years before, and told her that he loved
her and for some time she was so occu.
pied with her own thoughts, that she did
not find the time long. At least it grew
quite late, there was no Maurice, the shad
ows began to creep fast under the trees
the sun was almost down, and she was
growing nervous, when she saw mum
ber of COWS on their leisurely road home
poking their noses into thicket not fal
off, shutting the ground ,galloping off again
and returning to look once more, as is the
manner of cows, who are very curious by
nature. She could see the herd-boys
trying to get them home, at last go and ex
anime for themselves, and heard their ories
Of wonder one raced off to the neares
cottage, the smallest, little Reuben, saw
her and ran up, great in his Importance a
having a story to tell.