220 WOLF-HUNTING. 



reached the gendarmerie, can never be effaced from my memory. 

 With hasty strides I approached the building, and the nearer I 

 drew to it, the stronger grew my presentiment that evil tidings 

 awaited me within its walls. My nerves are not easily disturbed, 

 as you well know ; but you might have knocked me down with 

 a marabout feather, when, in crossing the threshold, the medical 

 officer blurted out, ' It's all over. In five minutes after you left, 

 your piqueur Gastel had a fit, from which he never rallied ; and 

 he died at noon.'" 



" And the braconnier ? " I inquired, gasping with expectation 

 of hearing still worse news. 



"'Is doing well,' he replied, with confidence, 'and with care 

 and rest, will probably be none the worse for the concussion in 

 a week or two.' " 



" You can easily imagine," continued Kergoorlas in his letter 

 " what comfort this information brought me ; for the complication 

 would have been indeed a serious one for me had the braconnier 

 died from a blow inflicted by my servant, and, as the world would 

 believe, on my account. Then there was the man's wife. It 

 would have changed some of your scruples, St. Prix, had you 

 witnessed, as I did, the unwearied, gentle tenderness and 

 devotion with which she watched, and nursed, and soothed him 

 in his agony. It was a picture I should like to paint that 

 homely but handsome peasant-girl for she could scarcely have 

 seen twenty summers transformed by love into a ministering 

 angel. Such a proof of what a woman can feel and do, as a 

 help-meet, for the man she loves, would compel you, as it did 

 me, to think better of the sex for the rest of your life." 



The remainder of the letter described, in glad terms, the 

 unexpected return of six couple of the lost hounds, which, to 

 the great surprise of all, found their way back to their recent 

 quarters at Gourin ; and this, too, as was supposed, of their own 

 accord. But it tuftied out afterwards that, luckily, a half-bred 



