ed John, his face turning whiter. "O father! They
are hunting her!"

The old man said nothing, but stooped and threw his mantle over the
trembling creature. Hardly had he done so when the hounds burst into
the clearing, barking fiercely, rushing towards the spot where the deer
lay.

The Hermit raised his staff and stepped forward with a quick word.
Instantly the dogs paused, cringing. They snarled and snapped their
teeth, but made no motion to draw nearer. There was another loud
bugle-blast, and a group of horsemen burst into the open space.

"Hola! Hola! The stand!" cried the foremost rider, flourishing his
sword. The others clustered about this leader. He was a tall, oldish
man, red-faced and fierce-eyed. Like the stranger whom John had met,
he was magnificently dressed in green velvet, with a gold chain about
his neck, and a star blazing on his breast. He wore also a green cap
bound with a gold band, from which a golden feather drooped to his
shoulder. The gloves which he wore, the baldric of his bugle, and the
hilt of the sword which he brandished aloft, glittered with jewels.

When he spied the Hermit standing with upraised staff over the deer,
while the dogs cowered at his feet, he drew up his horse and gave a
shout of wonder. Then once more there was a moment of intense silence
in that spot whose quiet had been broken by such a din. Thereafter the
splendid leader of the hunt spoke in a brutal voice.

"Ho! Who are you who interrupt our hunt and stand between us and our
quarry? Stand aside, old man, whoever you are. This is no place for
you. The deer is ours." He flourished his jeweled sword eagerly.

"I shall not stand aside," said the Hermit. "This doe is mine, my
friend and companion. Her milk has nourished me many a day, and she
shall not die in this place which is my home."

"Shall not die?" cried the huntsman hoarsely. "Do you know to whom you
speak?"

"I can guess," said the Hermit quietly. "From his cruelty and his free
speech I judge it must be he who calls himself king of the realm beyond
this forest."

"King of this forest and lord of all that dwell therein," shouted the
huntsman ferociously. "And who are you who dare oppose me?"

"I am a hermit," said the old man simply. "My service is to God, whom
you dishonor. My friends are the creatures whom you hunt. My study is
to save life, which you would destroy. Depart, and leave in peace this
place where life is sacred.