Four of a Kind 277 



ten to fifteen yards. The dogs, however, proved to 

 be of the useful, pottering sort, working with almost 

 exasperating carefulness and propping the instant 

 they made game. 



But the parsons were the real joy of the day. I 

 had rashly concluded that the friend never could 

 equal the other's acknowledged skill, but I acquired 

 much wisdom within half an hour. After four 

 straight, clean kills, I put away the pipe and began 

 to get square-jawed. It was beautiful to watch their 

 clean, snappy action and the smoke-like puffs of 

 feathers which never come save from a bird fairly 

 centred. When my fifth was clean muffed, there 

 sounded a soft " Ah ! " which was immediately fol- 

 lowed by the spiteful squinge of smokeless, and 

 the bird went down like a rag. 



From that on the Lay Delegate had a very hard 

 time trying to curb the impetuosity of the rectors. 

 I got one of 'em about the ninth bird, but the other 

 proved absolutely ungettable, for he hung to his 

 saving lead till the shadows lengthened and the blue 

 hills blurred. The other, the friend, struggled 

 nobly, but I managed to keep him one notch be- 

 hind. In justice to him, only his lack of practice at 

 the game saved me. 



When we reached the wagon, I felt like a man 

 who had enjoyed an almost perfect day. They were 

 so enthusiastic so clever so crisply clean of 

 speech and thought that they added a peculiar 

 zest to the thing. For once there had been a three- 

 cornered shooting party without flask, shady yarn, or 

 any of those really not serious lapses, which yet occur 

 and jar the s\veet wholesomeness of a sport which 



