TAKING THEM OVER 17 



opinion as to the gentle birth of Carrie, and pleased 

 that he had seen Mr. Clinker, and that if he contem- 

 plated bringing one or both back with him she had 

 only one spare room at present ; but dreading the 

 complications that mutilation of the message might 

 produce, and grudging the 4s. 6d. involved in sending, 

 none of them were sent. In the end of the week 

 Billy returned with the Clinker, a grey thorough- 

 bred, five-year-old mare ; but without the suggested 

 lady, at whose non-appearance, after having had her 

 explained away to our dull minds, Joanna professed 

 profound disappointment. 



A DAY IN THE KENNELS 



When Billy asked blandly, *' May I bring John 

 Elliot to see hounds fed to-morrow, and his sister 

 with him ? " I already knew from my usual source of 

 information that he had written asking the lady to 

 come with her brother to lunch, and to see hounds 

 fed, and had received a reply that she would be 

 charmed. So as we strolled along the footpath 

 leading to the kennels next afternoon, I contrived 

 to appropriate the young lady in spite of Billy's 

 manoeuvres, and found her delightfully naive and re- 

 freshing. Before reaching the kennels. Miss Florence 

 having heard that we had some cubs in captivity, 

 asked to see them. They were in a newly built pig- 

 house that had never been occupied, and the sur- 

 roundings were quite sanitary and wholesome. There 

 was a small quantity of hay in a corner of the inside 

 house, and the yard was covered over with wire 

 netting. Tom the feeder used to look after them, 



B 



