r. Carlos had no family, but his nephew and niece came twice a-year to
spend their holidays at the old hall. Master Walter, who was his heir,
was a fine manly fellow, about my own age, and Miss Ella, who was two
years younger, was a sweet, fair girl, as beautiful as she was amiable.

I had just completed my fourteenth year, and was tall and stout for my
age. Whenever these young people were at the hall, I was dressed in my
best clothes, and went up every day to wait upon them. If they went
fishing, I carried their basket and rods, baited their hooks, and found
out the best places for their sport,--and managed the light row boat if
they wished to extend their rambles further down the river.

Often we left boat and tackle, and had a scamper through the groves and
meadows. I found Miss Ella birds' nests and wild strawberries, and we
used to laugh and chat over our adventures on terms of perfect equality;
making a feast of our berries and telling fairy tales and ghost stories.
Not unfrequently we frightened ourselves with these wild legends, and
ran back to the boat, and the bright river, and the gay sunshine, as if
the evil spirits we had conjured up were actually before us, and
preparing to chase us through the dark wood. And then, when we gained
the boat, we would stop and pant, and laugh at our own fears.

Walter Carlos was a capital shot, and very fond of all kinds of
field-sports. His skill with a gun made me very ambitious to excel as a
sportsman. Mr. Carlos was very particular about his game. He kept
several gamekeepers, and was very severe in punishing all poachers who
dared to trespass on his guarded rights;--yet, when his nephew expressed
a wish that I might accompany him in his favourite diversion, to my
utter astonishment and delight, he took out a licence for me, and
presented me with a handsome fowling-piece, which I received on my
birthday from his own hand.

"This, Noah," he said, "you may consider in the way of business, as it
is my intention to bring you up for a gamekeeper."

Oh, what a proud day that was to me! With what delight I handled my
newly-acquired treasure! How earnestly I listened to Joe, the head
gamekeeper's, directions about the proper use of it! How I bragged and
boasted to my village associates of the game that _I and Master Walter_
had bagged in those sacred preserves that they dared not enter, for fear
of those mysterious objects of terror--man-traps and spring guns!

"The Guy! he