ired. When he came home, his first visit was to the house of Tony's
father. She was spinning in the room, but gave him no look of
recognition, only directing a fixed, cold stare at him from time to
time. He took his discharge out of his pocket, brushed every mote of
dust from the table, and spread the document before their eyes. Tony
would not walk to the table to look at it. He wrapped it up in a piece
of paper and went, carrying it carefully in his hand, to Babbett's.
Here he heard the whole story, and also that the two playmates had
quarrelled about the gamekeeper, and were not on speaking terms. He
mashed the discharge into a ball with both hands and went away.

At dark Sepper was sitting under the cherry-tree where we first made
Tony's acquaintance. It was leafless. The wind whistled over the
stubble, and the pine-wood sighed and murmured like a mighty current.
The night-bell sounded from the convent, and a belated raven croaked as
he flew toward the wood. Sepper saw and heard nothing. His elbows
rested on his knees, and his hands covered his eyes. Thus he remained a
long time. The bark of a dog and the sound of footsteps approaching
aroused him, and he sprang to his feet. The gamekeeper was coming out
of the village. Sepper saw the flash of his gun-barrel: he also saw a
white apron, and concluded, rightly, that Tony was accompanying the
gamekeeper. They stood still a while, and Tony returned toward the
village.

When the gamekeeper was near him, Sepper said, in a tone of defiance,
"Good-evening."

"How are you?" returned the gamekeeper.

"I've got a crow to pick with you," said the former again.

"Oh, Sepper," said the gamekeeper, "since when have you got back?"

"Too soon for you, you----: we won't be long about it. There! we'll
draw straws for which of us must give up Tony, and if I lose I must
have the gun."

"I won't draw any straws."

"Then I'll draw your soul out of your body, you rascally green-coat!"
roared Sepper, seizing the rifle with one hand and the gamekeeper's
throat with the other.

"Seize him, Bruin," cried the gamekeeper, with a smothered voice. A
kick from Sepper disabled the hound, but released the gamekeeper a
little. They now wrestled furiously for the gun, and held each other by
the throat, when suddenly the charge went off, and the gamekeeper fell
backward into the ditch. He groaned but slightly, and Sepper bent over
him to hear whether he was still breathing. Tony came running u