to be bought of her, and it was she who told him what was absolutely
necessary, and fixed the price as low as she could, so as not to make
them a gift. And he was not so ignorant in this matter as she had
expected--for the old habits of his boyhood served him, he could ride
well, and his scruples at Miss Morton's estimate proved that he knew a
horse when he saw it--as she said. She would, perhaps, have liked him
better if he had been a dissipated horsey man like his father. He would
have given her sensations--and on his side, considering the reputation of
the family, he was surprised at her eager, almost passionate desire to be
rid of the valuable horses and equipages as soon as possible.

When, in the afternoon, she went out of doors to refresh herself with a
solitary ramble in the Park after her morning of business, she heard an
altercation, and presently encountered a keeper, dragging after him a
trespasser, in whom, to her amazement, she recognised Herbert Morton, at
the same moment as he exclaimed: 'Cousin Bertha! Miss-- Look at this
impudent fellow, though I told him I was Lord Northmoor's own nephew.'

'And I told him, ma'am,' said the keeper, touching his hat, 'that if he
was ten nephews I wouldn't have him throwing stones at my pheasants, nor
his Lordship wouldn't neither, and then he sauced me, and I said I would
see what his Lordship said to that.'

'You must excuse him this time, Best,' said Miss Morton; 'he is a
town-bred boy, and knows no better, and you had better not worry his
Lordship about it.'

'Very well, Miss Morton, if it is your pleasure, but them pheasants are
my province, and I must do my dooty.'

'Of course, quite right, Best,' she answered; 'but my cousin here did not
understand, and you must make allowance for him.'

Best touched his hat again, and went off with an undercurrent of growl.

'Oh, Herbert, this is a pity!' Miss Morton exclaimed.

'Cheeky chap!' said Herbert sulkily. 'What business had he to meddle
with me? A great big wild bird gets up with no end of a row, and I did
nothing but shy a stone, and out comes this fellow at me in a regular
wax, and didn't care half a farthing when I told him who I was. I fancy
he did not believe me.'

'I don't wonder,' said Bertha; 'you have yet to learn that in the eyes of
any gentleman, nothing is much more sacred than a pheasant.'

'I never meant to hurt the thing, only one just chucks a stone,' muttered
Herbert, abashed, but s