Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

CHARLES'S DOMESTIC RELATIONS. 71
shone out among the dull-colored twigs, and a solitary robin
quavered his soft melancholy song alone. The flowers were
dead, the birds were flown or mute, and brave, green leaves were
stamped under foot; everywhere decay, decay.
In the dampest, darkest walk of them all, in a far-off path,
hedged with holly and yew, they found a bent and gray old man
walking with a toothless, gray old hound for his silent companion. And, as Charles moved forward with rapid, elastic step, the
old man looked up, and tottered to meet him, showing as.he did
so the face of Densil Ravenshoe.
"Now, the Virgin be praised," he said, " for putting it in your
head to come so quick, my darling. Whenever you go away
now, I am in terror lest I should die and never see you again.
I might be struck with paralysis, and not know you, my boy.
Don't go away from me again."
"I should like never to leave you any more, father dear. See
how well you get on with my arm. Let us come out into the
sun; why do you walk in this dismal wood?"
"Why? " said the old man, with sudden animation, his gray
eye kindling as he stopped. "Why? I come here because I
can catch sight of a woodcock, lad! I sprang one by that holly
just before you came up. Flip-flap, and away through the hollies like a ghost! Cuthbert and the priest are away coursing.
Now you are come, surely I can get on the gray pony, and go up
to see a hare killed. You'11 lead him for me, won't you? I
don't like to trouble them."
" We can go to-morrow, dad, after lunch, you and I and William. We'll have Leopard and Blue Ruin. By George! it;will be like old times again."
"And we'11 take our little quiet bird on her pony, won't we?"
said Densil, turning to Mary. "She's such a good little bird,
Charley. We sit and talk of you many an hour. Charley, can't
you get me down on the shore, and let me sit there? I got
Cuthbert to take me down once; but Father Mackworth came,
and talked about the Immaculate Conception through his nose all
the time. I did n't want to hear him talk; I wanted to hear the
surf on the shore. Good man! he thought he interested me, I
dare say."
"I hope he is very kind to you, father?"
"Kind! I assure you, my dear boy, he is the kindest creature! He never lets me out of his sight; and so attentive!"
"He'll have to be a little less attentive in future, confound
him!" muttered Charles.'There he is; talk of the Devil!
MIary, my dear," he added aloud, "go and amuse the Rooks for
a little, and let us have Cuthbert to ourselves."
The old man looked curious at the idea of Mary talking to the