THE SQUIRE'S EXCITEMENT 65 



show. His hands shook and his heart beat 

 faster than its wont ; for the life of him he could 

 not suppress the excitement he felt. Presently 

 a shadow, a moving shadow, followed by another 

 and yet another, darkened the sward — these 

 were the otters ; and without a wink he watched 

 them cross the turf to the ferny border of the 

 moat, where, though he could see them no longer, 

 he could follow their movements by the twitch- 

 ing of the fronds till, a few seconds later, they 

 entered the water and pursued their graceful 

 gambols full in his view. Once the otter, 

 attracted by scent or sound, or both, half rose 

 out of the moat and looked over the low bank ; 

 but the moment she saw that the intruders were 

 only a badger and two cubs she fell again to her 

 romps. Later she looked up and scrutinized the 

 strange object at the window. The squire re- 

 mained as motionless as the gargoyles ; her sus- 

 picion was allayed, and once more she resumed 

 her frolics. Anon the trio stole away and, 

 passing through the drain beneath the park wall 

 by which the badgers had found an entrance, 

 gained the valley where the weary hounds lay 

 asleep in their kennels. But without a thought 

 of hound or anything else save the marsh to 

 which she was hurrying, the otter made across 



9 



