e entered in the midst of a silence freighted
with despairing reflections. The M. F. H. got up and told his tale: it
was mainly lies, or, to be more polite, it was hardly any of it true,
though I suppose he believed it.

"I am very sorry, sir," said Albert's uncle, looking at the bullets.
"You'll excuse my asking for the children's version?"

"Oh, certainly, sir, certainly," fuming, the fox-hound magistrate
replied.

Then Albert's uncle said, "Now, Oswald, I know I can trust you to speak
the exact truth."

So Oswald did.

Then the white-whiskered fox-master laid the bullets before Albert's
uncle, and I felt this would be a trial to his faith far worse than the
rack or the thumbscrew in the days of the Armada.

And then Denny came in. He looked at the fox on the table.

"You found it, then?" he said.

The M. F. H. would have spoken, but Albert's uncle said, "One moment,
Denny; you've seen this fox before?"

"Rather," said Denny; "I--"

But Albert's uncle said, "Take time. Think before you speak and say the
exact truth. No, don't whisper to Oswald. This boy," he said to the
injured fox-master, "has been with me since seven this morning. His
tale, whatever it is, will be independent evidence."

But Denny would not speak, though again and again Albert's uncle told
him to.

"I can't till I've asked Oswald something," he said at last.

White Whiskers said, "That looks bad--eh?"

But Oswald said, "Don't whisper, old chap. Ask me whatever you like, but
speak up."

So Denny said, "I can't without breaking the secret oath."

So then Oswald began to see, and he said, "Break away for all you're
worth, it's all right." And Denny said, drawing relief's deepest
breath, "Well, then, Oswald and I have got a pistol--shares--and I had
it last night. And when I couldn't sleep last night because of the
toothache I got up and went out early this morning. And I took the
pistol. And I loaded it just for fun. And down in the wood I heard a
whining like a dog, and I went, and there was the poor fox caught in an
iron trap with teeth. And I went to let it out and it bit me--look,
here's the place--and the pistol went off and the fox died, and I am so
sorry."

"But why didn't you tell the others?"

"They weren't awake when I went to the dentist's."

"But why didn't you tell your uncle if you've been with him all the
morning?"

"It was the oath," H. O. said:

"May I be called a beastly sneak
If this great secret