XXXII 



OF TWO MISCREANTS 



AS I came along the withy bed to the wooden 

 \. bridge to-night for a last look north-west- 

 ward, I encountered a dim young woman, who 

 stood in an attitude of extraordinary alertness, 

 grasping a butterfly net and peering determinedly 

 into the profundities of a hedge. Even as I 

 reached her she made a clever little sweep with 

 her weapon, and, holding it up against the 

 exquisite spectacle beyond the downs, uttered 

 a little satisfied noise and got out the killing 

 bottle. On the bridge stood a man, a shortish 

 man, in a soft hat, smoking a cigarette ; he, too, 

 carried the odious muslin bag. A pair of bicycles 

 male and female assisted at the sorry sport, 

 leaning, bored, against a rail. These entomolo- 

 gists, having smeared all the posts in the vicinity 

 with a boiled mixture of treacle, brewing sugar, 

 and essence of jargonel pear, were now filling in 

 their time (until it grew dark enough for the 

 Noctuas to come to the horrid bait) in netting 

 such slow-flying Geometers as had the misfortune 

 to cross their path. 



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