y down to the bed of the burn. But still she
fought her way upward, and at last she stood face to face with him,
smiling, but a little breathless.

"That's a frightful place to come up," said he.

"Oh, it's nothing, when you know it," she said, lightly. "Tell me, how
did you get on this morning?"

"Thanks to you, I think I did pretty well," said he.

"I'm awfully glad of that," said she; and the soft, clear hazel eyes
repeated her words in their own transparent way.

"I remembered all your instructions," he continued (and he was in no
hurry that Miss Cunyngham should go on to the luncheon-party; while old
Robert stood patiently by). "And I was very fortunate in getting easy
shots. Then when I did miss, either Sir Hugh or Captain Waveney was sure
to get the bird? I never saw such smart shooting."

"What have you done?"

"Altogether?"

"Yes."

"I don't know. The panniers are being emptied, to make a show for Lady
Rosamund's sketch. I fancy there are close on sixty brace of grouse,
with some blue hares and a snipe and a wild duck."

"What has Lord Fareborough's party done?"

"I don't know? they have just shown up--so you needn't hurry on unless
you are hungry."

"But I am--very hungry," said she, with a laugh. "I have been hard at
work all the morning."

"Oh, in that case," he said, eagerly, "by all means come along, and I'll
get you something at once. You and I needn't wait for the emptying of
the other panniers. Oh, yes, that will do first-rate; I'm a duffer at
shooting, you know, Miss Cunyngham, but I'm a splendid forager at a
picnic. Let me carry the gaff for you."

"Oh, no, thank you," she said, "I merely use it as a walking-stick
coming up the Bad Step."

"And there," he exclaimed, as they went on through the birch-wood, "look
at the selfishness of men! You ask all about my shooting; but I never
asked what luck you had with your fishing."

"Well, I've had rather bad luck," she said, simply. "I lost a fish in
the Geinig Pool, after having him on for about five minutes, and I rose
another in the Horse-Shoe Pool and couldn't get him to come again all I
could do. But I mean to call upon him in the afternoon."

A sudden inspiration flashed into his brain.

"I should like to come and see you try for him," he said, quickly. "I
suppose they wouldn't mind my sending home my gun?"

"Mr. Moore!" she said, with her eyes downcast. "They'd think you were
mad to leave a shooting-party on the Twelfth. You ca