124 THE SPIRIT 



untamed grouse, which would be dis- 

 tressing at other times, is now a positive 

 delight. One feels conscious of a per- 

 sistent inclination to let the well-tried 

 setter, who also is emancipated at last 

 from the monotony of the off-season, 

 have her uncurbed liberty. Some of the 

 joy of her life becomes our own when 

 we see how gladly she ranges the wide 

 moor, how suddenly she checks her wild 

 career to creep on cat-like feet, her vel- 

 vet lips quivering as she feels the air, as 

 near as she dare to where the birds are 

 crouching, to wait, immovable as one of 

 the gray boulders themselves, listening 

 with intense anxiety for approaching 

 footsteps, for the first syllable of a voice 

 she knows so well. Again, is there not a 

 keener desire to prolong the fight with 

 the lusty salmon in the days when the 

 rowan berries are scarlet on the hills ? 

 Is there not a feeling akin to disappoint- 

 ment when the plucky little trout all too 



