YOUNG HERONS IN TRAINING 117 



the water she had not already fished might 

 remain undisturbed ; then, pretending to find 

 difficulty in eluding their pursuit, she hastened 

 haphazard hither and thither till her most 

 vigorous pursuer forced her to surrender the 

 prize. The excitement having abated, she re- 

 sumed her stalking, and the members of her 

 awkward squad formed again in line to the rear. 

 The performance was vastly entertaining for 

 the Norman youth ; but his cramped position 

 at the edge of the rock became more and more 

 uncomfortable. Presently, turning slightly to 

 seat himself on a grassy knoll, he dislodged a 

 stone, which clattered down from ledge to ledge, 

 rolled across the dingle, and so disturbed the 

 herons that with hoarse cries of alarm they flew 

 off and disappeared over the opposite hill. 



Early next morning, Renoult, bent on learn- 

 ing more, again paid a visit to the heron's 

 favourite haunts. From the highest battlement 

 he scanned the creek, but could catch no glimpse 

 of wide blue vanes beating slowly through the 

 clear summer air, or of a lonely watcher by the 

 mud-flats down towards the sea. The entrance 

 to the mill-leat was deserted ; the fish-ponds 

 near the abbey were undisturbed save by dimp- 

 ling trout, and busy coots and waterhens among 

 the lily-pads ; and nothing moved along the 

 mere save the pale green flags that bowed and 



