us again, after an absence of a few minutes, there was an air of patient understanding about him, as though he knew that he had done something of which we disapproved, but which he felt to be thoroughly justifiable.

‘ “How can you let that ravening beast trot by your side?” asked Constance. She was looking more than ever like an albino beetroot.

‘ “In the first place, I can’t prevent it,” I said; “and in the second place, whatever else he may be, I doubt if he’s ravening at the present moment.”

‘Constance shuddered. “Do you think the poor little thing suffered much?” came another of her futile questions.

‘ “The indications were all that way,” I said; “on the other hand of course, it may have been crying from sheer temper. Children sometimes do.”

‘It was nearly pitch-dark when we emerged suddenly into the high road. A flash of lights and the whir of a motor went past us at the same moment at uncomfortably close quarters. A thud and a sharp screeching yell followed a second later. The car drew up, and when I had ridden back to the spot I found a young man bending over a dark motionless mass lying by the roadside.

‘ “You have killed my Esmé,” I exclaimed bitterly.

‘ “I’m so awfully sorry,” said the young man; “I keep dogs myself so I know what you must feel about it. I’ll do anything I can in reparation.’

‘ “Please bury him at once,” I said; “that much I think I may ask of you.”

‘ “Bring the spade, William,” he called to the chauffeur. Evidently hasty roadside interments were contingencies that had been provided against.

‘The digging of a sufficiently large grave took some little time. “I say, what a magnificent fellow,” said the motorist as the corpse was rolled over into the trench. “I’m afraid he must have been rather a valuable animal.”

‘ “He took second in the puppy class at Birmingham last year,” I said resolutely.

‘Constance snorted loudly.

‘ “Don’t cry, dear,” I said brokenly; “it was all over in a moment. He couldn’t have suffered much.”

‘ “Look here,” said the young fellow desperately, “you simply must let me do something by way of reparation.”

‘I refused sweetly, but as he persisted I let him have my address.

‘Of course, we kept our own counsel as to the earlier episodes of the evening. Lord Pabham never advertised the loss of his hyæna; when a strictly fruit-eating animal strayed from his park a year or two previously he was called upon to give compensation in eleven cases of sheep-worrying and practically to re-stock his neighbours’ poultry-yards, and an escaped hyæna would have mounted up to something on the scale of a Government grant. The gipsies were equally unobtrusive over their missing offspring; I don’t suppose in large encampments they really know to a child or two how many they’ve got.’

The Baroness paused reflectively, and then continued:

‘There was a sequel to the adventure, though. I got through the post a charming little diamond brooch, with the name Esmé set in a sprig of rosemary. Incidentally, too, I lost the friendship of Constance Broddle.