Part 46 (1/2)

”Where are you, David?”

”Here, sir Come down between the raspberries”

”Where are they, David? All right, I see nohispered Tom, and he stepped as far as he could across the flower-bed, which ran down beside the kitchen-garden, and the next ardener's hand stretched out to take his

”Got your stick, sir?”

”Yes; all right He hasn't come then yet”

”Not yet, sir Here you are; now you can kneel down alongside o' ”

To his knees indent the soil beneath; and then with his head below the tops of the black-currant bushes, whose leaves gave out their peculiar h perfectly hidden he could di thickly not many feet away, and the watchers were so situated that a spring would take theht come

”One ain

Which way do you think he'll co the bed, so as his feet arn't heard If I hear anything I nips you in the leg If you hear anything, you nips an

At first there was the rattle of a cart heard co way off, and To the odour of the blackcurrants, and trying to calculate where the cart would be But after a tie and passed on, and the tramp of the horse and the rattle of the wheels died out

Then he listened to the various sounds in the village--voices, the closing of doors, the rattle of shutters; and all at once the church clock began to strike, the nine thu a quivering, boo sound in the air which lasted for some time

After this all was very still, and it was quite a relief to hear the barking of a dog from some distance away, followed by the faintly-heard rattle of a chain drawn over the entrance of the kennel, when the barking ceased, and repeated directly after as the barking began again

Everything then onderfully still and dark, till a peculiar cry arose--a weird, strange cry, as of so in pain, which thrilled Toruain for a minute or two, and the peculiar sensation caused by the cry of the bristly ani in Tom's nerves, when there was another noise which produced a thoroughly different effect, for a donkey froave vent to its doleful extraordinary bray, ending in aout of its organ

Toiven an aniain still, till voices arose once ht!” then a door banged, and, _pat pat_, he could hear faintly retiring steps, ”Good-night”

repeated, and then close to his elbow--

_Snor-rr-re_

”David!” he whispered, as he touched the gardener on the shoulder--”David!”

”Arn't better taters grow'd, I say, and--Eh? Is he co it as well not to allude to his companion's lapse

”Oh ay, I'ardener; ”but I don't think it's him yet Wait a bit, and we'll nab hiain for quite ten minutes, and then David exclaiainst his coruff whisper full of reproach, ”Don't go to sleep, Master Tohing to hi very slowly, and the earth which had felt so soft beneath the knees gradually turning hard