ENCORE HUMPHRIES. 317 



down upon poor Watts, and trying to oust 

 him from his place. This, however, was a bad 

 move, as I shall show. 



He dug a pit for poor old keeper Watts — 

 metaphorically, I mean, not literally — and fell 

 into it himself, which served him right. The 

 Bible tells the fate of him who diggeth a pit 

 for another, and such was the fate that befel 

 Humphries, for he fell into his own pit and 

 there remained, as far as keepering was con- 

 cerned. And this is how it happened. 



One morning old Watts came across Hum- 

 phries as the latter was ferreting, and com- 

 plained that the foxes took his hen pheasants 

 from the nests ; he said that, only the night 

 before, three birds were taken by foxes. 



"That's your fault," said Humphries. 



" What do you mean ? I can't help it." 



"Yes, you can," persisted Humphries. 



" How so ? " asked Watts. 



" Why, put them under the turf. I put many 

 a one under when I lived with Wilkins, at 

 Thrupp." 



" You did ? " said Watts, astonished. 



