catch us," said the Squire. Miles touched his hat, and
assented. "The house will look very well from here," said the Squire,
pointing down through a line of trees. Ralph assented cheerily; and
yet he thought that his father was spending more money than Darvell's
house need to have cost him.

They reached Barford Heath a few minutes before eleven, and there was
a little scene upon the occasion. It was the first recognised meet of
the season, and the Squire had not been out before. It was now known
to almost every man there that the owner of Newton Priory had at
last succeeded in obtaining the reversion of the estate for his own
son; and though the matter was one which hardly admitted of open
congratulation, still there were words spoken and looks given, and
a little additional pressure in the shaking of hands,--all of which
seemed to mark a triumph. That other Ralph had not been known in the
county. This Ralph was very popular; and though of course there was
existent some amount of inner unexpressed feeling that the proper
line of an old family was being broken, that for the moment was kept
in abeyance, and all men's faces wore smiles as they were turned
upon the happy Squire. He hardly carried himself with as perfect a
moderation as his son would have wished. He was a little loud,--not
saying much to any one openly about the property, uttering merely
a word or two in a low voice in answer to the kind expressions of
one or two specially intimate friends; but in discussing other
matters,--the appearance of the pack, the prospects of the season,
the state of the county,--he was not quite like himself. In his
ordinary way he was a quiet man, not often heard at much distance,
and contented to be noted as Newton of Newton rather than as a man
commanding attention by his conduct before other men. There certainly
was a difference to-day, and it was of that kind which wine produces
on some who are not habitual drinkers. The gases of his life were in
exuberance, and he was as a balloon insufficiently freighted with
ballast. His buoyancy, unless checked, might carry him too high among
the clouds. All this Ralph saw, and kept himself a little aloof. If
there were aught amiss, there was no help for it on his part; and,
after all, what was amiss was so very little amiss.

"We'll draw the small gorses first," said the old master, addressing
himself specially to Mr. Newton, "and then we'll go into Barford
Wood."

"Just so," said t