8GBAPPEB. 103 



and a disreputable specimen of his race, too ; looked more 

 like a tramp's dog than the property of the beauty of the 

 county. Beauty and the Beast they called them ; and they 

 were almost inseparable. But Ethel said Scrapper never 

 made a mistake, and the unmitigated dislike which he showed 

 for Mr. Newton Strange confirmed her in her own opinion of 

 him. If Scrapper disliked anyone, he usually avoided them, 

 and never displayed any pleasure when they patted and made 

 much of him for his mistress's sake ; they never did for his 

 own sake, and Scrapper seemed to know it. But to Mr. 

 Newton Strange he was positively hostile, and growled in an 

 ominous manner when that gentleman once patted him. 

 There was an ugly gleam in the dark eyes, but their owner 

 kept clear of Scrapper in the future. Mr. Strange was an 

 American with no fixed abode, immensely rich apparently, 

 and with all his money invested in shares, so he said. He did 

 not like being tied to one or two places, but preferred " to 

 roam about looking at the beautiful things in this beautiful 

 world," as he would remark when people asked why he did 

 not buy an estate and settle down. His father made his 

 money out of oil, " an unpleasant thing to think of, but one 

 should not grumble," he said ; " it enabled him to live the life 

 he liked, and to buy what he liked ; what matter where the 

 money came from ? " 



One evening after a long day's shooting the men were 

 gathered together in the billiard room, and their conversation 

 turned on burglaries. There had been one in the neighbour- 

 hood the night before, the vicarage having been despoiled of 

 most of its silver and other valuables. 



" I've never been in a house while it has been broken 

 into," said one. 



" I have, though," said Strange. " Do you remember 

 the robbery at Shepherd's Hotel, Frank?" he added, to 

 young Lawson. 



