and my sole object in seeking this interview is
to ask your permission to pay my addresses to her. That permission given,
I will attend to the rest."

"After you have dropped your penny in the slot," remarked Mr. Archibald.
"I must say," he continued, "that I am rather surprised at the nature of
your communication. I supposed you were going to explain your somewhat
remarkable conduct in bringing your tent into my camp without asking my
permission or even speaking to me about it; but as what you have said is
of so much more importance than that breach of good manners I will let the
latter drop. But why did you ask my permission to address Miss Dearborn?
Why didn't you go and do it just as you brought your tent here? Did you
think that if you had a permit from me for that sort of sport you could
warn off trespassers?"

"It was something of that kind," said Raybold, "although I should not have
put it in that trifling way."

"Then I will remark," said Mr. Archibald, "that I know nothing of your
matrimonial availability, and I do not want to know anything about it. My
wife and I brought Miss Dearborn here to enjoy herself in the woods, not
to be sought in marriage by strangers. For the present I am her guardian,
and as such I say to you that I forbid you to make her a proposal of
marriage, or, indeed, to pay her any attentions which she may consider
serious. If I see that you do not respect my wishes in this regard, I
shall ask you to consider our acquaintance at an end, and shall dispense
with your visits to this camp. Have I spoken plainly?"

The knitted brows of Raybold were directed towards the ground. "You have
spoken plainly," he said, "and I have heard," and with a bow he walked
away.

As he approached his tent a smile, intended to be bitter, played about his
features.

"A net of cobwebs," he muttered, "to cage a lion!"

The weather had now grown sultry, the afternoon was very hot, and there
was a general desire to lie in the shade and doze. Margery's plans for a
siesta were a little more complicated than those of the others. She longed
to lie in a hammock under great trees, surrounded by the leafy screens of
the woodlands; to gaze at the blue sky through the loop-holes in the
towering branches above her, and to dream of the mysteries of the forest.

"Martin," said she, to the young guide, "is there a hammock among the
things we brought with us?"

His face brightened. "Of course there are hammocks," he said.