GEESE 221 



spot where it had been ! It was standing as before, 

 perfectly motionless, its long neck and head raised, 

 and was still in appearance the snow-white figure 

 of a carved bird, only it was more conspicuous 

 and impressive now, being outlined against the 

 blue sky, and as before it was regarding him out 

 of the corner of one eye. He had never, he said, 

 felt so ashamed of himself in his life ! If the bird 

 had screamed and fled from him it would not have 

 been so bad, but there it had chosen to remain, as 

 if despising his attempt at harming it too much 

 even to feel resentment. A most uncanny bird ! 

 it seemed to him that it had divined his intention 

 from the first and had been prepared for his every 

 movement ; and now it appeared to him to be 

 saying mentally : " Have you got no more plans 

 to capture me in your clever brain, or have you 

 quite given it up ? " 



Yes, he had quite, quite given it up ! 



And then the goose, seeing there were no more 

 plans, quietly unfolded its wings and rose from the 

 snowdrift and flew away over the town and the 

 cathedral away on the further side, and towards 

 the snow-covered Mendips ; he standing there watch- 

 ing it until it was lost to sight in the pale sky. 



