tended to shoot that crow?" asked
Congreve.

"Of course I did!" answered Philip shortly, determined to get the credit
of his success.

Harry could not help smiling. "What are you laughing at?" demanded
Philip, scowling.

"At the mistake I made," answered Harry, good-humoredly. "I thought you
were firing at the partridge."

"You see you were mistaken," said Philip, offensively.

"I see I was," returned Harry, quietly.

He thought it was foolish to get angry about such a trifle.

"Go and get the crow," said Philip, arrogantly.

It had fallen among some underbrush not far away.

"Shall I?" asked Harry, turning to Congreve, whom he recognized as his
employer, and the only one entitled to order him about.

"What do you want it for, Philip?" asked Congreve. "It's only a
crow--good for nothing."

"Never mind; I want it," answered Philip.

In truth, it was the first bird he had ever succeeded in shooting,
though he would not have been willing to acknowledge this, and he wanted
to display it at home as a trophy of his skill.

"Then you may get it," said Congreve, who, in spite of his dishonorable
character, was, in manners, more of a gentleman than Philip.

Harry at once plunged into the thicket, and not without difficulty
succeeded in finding the crow, which he brought out and delivered to
Philip. The latter only consented to carry it on account of the pride he
felt in his success as a sportsman.

"Here, take this gun, Gilbert, and try your luck next," said Congreve.

"I suppose he will eclipse us all," Philip remarked, with a sneer.

"I don't know about that," returned Harry, good-naturedly. "I haven't
been out many times, not having any gun of my own."

"Look out that you don't shoot either of us," said Philip.

"I am not after such game as that," said Harry.

He took the gun, and began to look attentively in different directions,
lest any chance should escape him. At length he espied a partridge. He
raised his gun quickly, took instant but accurate aim, and fired. The
bird was seen to flutter an instant and then fall.

"You've got him!" exclaimed Congreve, excitedly.

Harry ran in the direction of the bird's fall, and returned, flushed
with success. Philip's envy was aroused, inasmuch as a partridge was a
more valuable prize than a crow.

"You were lucky," he said, with his usual sneer. "It was fortunate for
you that the bird got in the way."

"Rather unfortunate for the partridge, though!" said