? Tell the driver to take it to the
police-station."

"Nothing of the sort, papa," said Laura, rising with dignity and
wrapping a shawl about her shoulders. Her eyes were shining, her cheeks
flushed, and she carried herself like a triumphant queen.

Robert, with his teacup in his hand, allowed his attention to be
diverted from their strange visitor while he gazed at his beautiful
sister.

"Mr. Raffles Haw has done this out of kindness to me," she said,
sweeping towards the door. "I look upon it as a great attention on his
part. I shall certainly go out and look at it."

"If you please, sir," said the carman, reappearing at the door, "it's
all as we can do to 'old in the 'osses."

"Let us all go out together then," suggested Robert.

They went as far as the garden fence and stared over, while the whole
village, from the school-children to the old grey-haired men from the
almshouses, gathered round in mute astonishment. The tiger, a long,
lithe, venomous-looking creature, with two blazing green eyes, paced
stealthily round the little cage, lashing its sides with its tail, and
rubbing its muzzle against the bars.

"What were your orders?" asked Robert of the carman.

"It came through by special express from Liverpool, sir, and the train
is drawn up at the Tamfield siding all ready to take it back. If it 'ad
been royalty the railway folk couldn't ha' shown it more respec'. We are
to take it back when you're done with it. It's been a cruel job, sir,
for our arms is pulled clean out of the sockets a-'olding in of the
'osses."

"What a dear, sweet creature it is," cried Laura. "How sleek and how
graceful! I cannot understand how people could be afraid of anything so
beautiful."

"If you please, marm," said the carman, touching his skin cap, "he out
with his paw between the bars as we stood in the station yard, and if
I 'adn't pulled my mate Bill back it would ha' been a case of kingdom
come. It was a proper near squeak, I can tell ye."

"I never saw anything more lovely," continued Laura, loftily overlooking
the remarks of the driver. "It has been a very great pleasure to me
to see it, and I hope that you will tell Mr. Haw so if you see him,
Robert."

"The horses are very restive," said her brother. "Perhaps, Laura, if you
have seen enough, it would be as well to let them go."

She bowed in the regal fashion which she had so suddenly adopted. Robert
shouted the order, the driver sprang up, his comrades let the