s still arguing with Sir John Bellamy the nice point
whether, should he execute that particular animal, as he felt a carnal
longing to do, it would be manslaughter or dogslaughter, he found
himself wide awake.

It was very early in the morning of the 1st of May, and, contrary to
the usual experience of the inhabitants of these islands, the sky gave
promise of a particularly fine day, just the day for fishing. He did
not feel sleepy, and, had he done so, he had had enough of his doggy
dreams; so he got up, dressed, and taking his fishing-rod, let himself
out of the house as he had been instructed to do on the previous
evening, and, releasing Aleck from his outhouse, proceeded towards
Bratham Lake.

And about this time Angela woke up too, for she always rose early, and
ran to the window to see what sort of a day she had got for her
birthday. Seeing it to be so fine, she threw open the old lattice, at
which her pet raven Jack was already tapping to be admitted, and let
the sweet air play upon her face and neck, and thought what a
wonderful thing it was to be twenty years old. And then, kneeling by
the window, she said her prayers after her own fashion, thanking God
who had spared her to see this day, and praying Him to show her what
to do with her life, and, if it was His will, to make it a little less
lonely. Then she rose and dressed herself, feeling that now that she
had done with her teens, she was in every respect a woman grown--
indeed, quite old. And, in honour of the event, she chose out of her
scanty store of dresses, all of them made by Pigott and herself, her
very prettiest, the one she had had for Sunday wear last summer, a
tight-fitting robe of white stuff, with soft little frills round the
neck and wrists. Next she put on a pair of stout boots calculated to
keep out the morning dew, and started off.

Now all this had taken a good time, nearly an hour perhaps; for, being
her birthday, and there having been some mention of a young gentleman
who might possibly come to fish, she had plaited up her shining hair
with extra care, a very laborious business when your hair hangs down
to your knees.

Meanwhile our other early riser, Arthur, had made his way first to the
foot of the lake and then along the little path that skirted its area
till he came to Caresfoot Staff. Having sufficiently admired that
majestic oak, for he was a great lover of timber, he proceeded to
investigate the surrounding water with the eye