172 TEE SILVER FOX 



Lady Susan took the blow in silence, 

 and that quality in her that can only be 

 described as an absence of smallness, dimly 

 appealed to the country-woman, as occasion- 

 ally through Lady Susan's careless life it 

 had had its effect on women of her own 

 class. 



*^ D'ye know yer way home out o' this ? " 

 said Maria sullenly. *'If ye'U come with 

 me I'll show ye the short way out into the 

 bohireen below our house." She was begin- 

 ning to be sorry for what she had said, or 

 perhaps the saying of it had eased her 

 heart. " One that didn't know this field 

 would aisy be killed in it. It's full o' thim 

 cracks, and we have it finced sthrong from 

 the sheep." She turned and pointed to the 

 tall Druidic stones. "While ye live ye'll 

 mind yerself whin ye see thim. I thought 

 every one in the counthry knew this place. 

 But sure what are you but a sthranger ! " 

 She said it more kindly, and as if explaining 

 the position to herself. 



" Look here,'! said Lady Susan suddenly, 



