74 The Partridge Family 



were in fine fettle, everything was ready, and we 

 would shoot the following day. 



Before turning in, Doc let his brace of setters 

 into the house. They were handsome, medium- 

 sized bitches of Llewellyn-Laverack blood, black- 

 and-white, and named respectively Madge and 

 Joss. I had shot over Madge a few days the pre- 

 vious season, and we were curious to know if she 

 would remember me. The brace crouched on a 

 rug, and we sat and watched them. Presently 

 Madge became restless and sniffed a few times in 

 my direction ; then she crawled to me and rooted 

 her nose under my hand, while her tail beat a 

 soft tattoo of welcome. " By George ! she re- 

 members you," exclaimed Doc ; and as I looked 

 into her eager, pleading brown eyes, I knew that 

 she did. Those eyes were talking as only a good 

 dog's eyes can, but she had not yet heard me 

 speak. Finally I patted her and said, " Good old 

 Madgie." In an instant she was up and capering 

 about like a mad thing, which performance so 

 affected Joss that she cut a few capers out of 

 sympathy. They made such a row that we had 

 to send them away. 



Doc routed me out at six o'clock in some sort 

 of fog which he termed morning, and presently 

 we were in the trap, with the dogs snuggled 

 under the seat. The nag was a stepper, the road 

 was good, and we rattled along famously. Farms, 



