TEE SILVER FOX 69 



smoke from Quin's farm rose bluely from 

 the valley below, a long stretch of brown 

 country spangled with lakes lay beyond, 

 and behind all, rising to meet the eye, the 

 sea stood high like a silver wall against the 

 horizon. Curlew were crying on the sunny 

 slopes above Slaney, and the whistling of 

 green plover filled the air. No one was in 

 sight save a rider posted out on the hill to 

 watch the top of the covert ; the inevitable 

 mob of country boys was at the lower end, 

 and the sound of Hugh's and Major Bun- 

 bury's voices, holloaing to the hounds, came 

 distantly from the bottom of the wood. 



Slaney sat quite still, while the life and 

 freshness of the morning passed by her, and 

 left her dull as stone. The thud of a foot- 

 step that ran, and laboured in running, did 

 not make her look round; she thought it 

 was the usual country boy till she saw Tom 

 Quin come lurching and stumbling round 

 the far corner of the wood, with his dog 

 panting at his heels. Even at a distance 

 of a hundred yards or more an extravagance 



