ell have suggested a building to the first gothic
architect for working the design in stone.

"Ought to be plenty here," said Vane to himself after drinking his fill
of the glorious scene with its side aisles and verdant chapels all
around; and stooping down at the foot of one tree, he began with the
little trowel which he had taken from his pocket to scrape away the
black coating of decayed leaves, and then dig here and there for the
curious tubers likely to be found in such a place, but without result.

"Hope uncle hasn't bought a turkey to stuff with truffles," he said with
a laugh, as he tried another place; "the basket does not promise to be
very heavy."

He had no better luck here, and he tried another, in each case carefully
scratching away the dead leaves to bare the soft leaf-mould, and then
dig carefully.

"Want a truffle dog, or a pig," he muttered; and then he pounced upon a
tuber about twice as large as a walnut, thrusting it proudly into his
basket.

"Where one is, there are sure to be others," he said; and he resumed his
efforts, finding another and another, all in the same spot.

"Why, I shall get a basketful," he thought, and he began to dwell
pleasantly upon the satisfaction the sight of his successful foray would
give the doctor, who had a special penchant for truffles, and had often
talked about what expensive delicacies they were for those who dwelt in
London.

Encouraged then by his success, he went on scraping and grubbing away
eagerly with more or less success, while the task grew more mechanical,
and after feeling that his bottle was safe in his breast-pocket, he
began to think that it was time to leave off, and go on his mission; but
directly after, as he was rubbing the clean leaf-mould from off a tuber,
his thoughts turned to Distin, and the undoubted enmity he displayed.

"If it was not such a strong term," he said to himself, "I should be
ready to say he hates me, and would do me any ill-turn he could."

He had hardly thought this, and was placing his truffle in the basket,
when a faint noise toward the edge of the wood where the sun poured in,
casting dark shadows from the tree-trunks, made him look sharply in that
direction.

For a few moments he saw nothing, and he was about to credit a rabbit
with the sound, when it suddenly struck him that one of the shadows cast
on the ground not far distant had moved slightly, and as he fixed his
eyes upon it intently, he saw that it was