've
been out after things for the club.'

And opening the tin box strapped on his back, he showed the day's
capture of butterflies, and some belated birds' eggs, the plunder of
a bit of common where the turf for the winter's burning was just being
cut.

Goatsucker, linnet, stonechat,' said the Rector, fingering them. 'Well
done for August, Ned. If you haven't got anything better to do with
them, give them to that small boy of Mr. Carter's that's been ill so
long. He'd thank you for them, I know.'

The lad nodded with a guttural sound of assent. Then his new-born
scientific ardor seemed to struggle with his rustic costiveness of
speech.

'I've been just watching a queer creetur,' he said at last hurriedly; 'I
b'leeve he's that un.'

And he pulled out a well-thumbed handbook, and pointed to a cut of the
grasshopper warbler.

'Whereabouts?' asked Robert, wondering the while at his own start of
interest.

'In that bit of common t'other side the big pond,' said Ned pointing,
his brick-red countenance kindling into suppressed excitement.

'Come and show me!' said the Rector, and the two went off together. And
sure enough, after a little beating about, they heard the note which
had roused the lad's curiosity, the loud whirr of a creature that should
have been a grasshopper, and was not.

They stalked the bird a few yards, stooping and crouching, Robert's
eager hand on the boy's arm, whenever the clumsy rustic movements made
too much noise among the underwood. They watched it uttering its jarring
imitative note on bush after bush, just dropping to the ground as they
came near, and flitting a yard or two farther, but otherwise showing
no sign of alarm at their presence. Then suddenly the impulse which had
been leading him on died in the Rector. He stood upright, with a long
sigh.

'I must go home, Ned,' he said abruptly. 'Where are you off to?'

'Please, sir, there's my sister at the cottage, her as married Jim, the
under-keeper. I be going there for my tea.'

'Come along then, we can go together.'

They trudged along in silence; presently Robert turned on his companion.

'Ned, this natural history has been a fine thing for you, my lad; mind
you stick to it. That and good work will make a man of you. When I go
away----'

The boy started and stopped dead, his dumb animal eyes fixed on his
companion.

'You know I shall soon be going off on my holiday,' said Robert smiling
faintly; adding hurriedly as the boy