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"Come away," I whispered; "don't let's stop listening." "We can't help it, without going all the way back." "Poachers always make the best keepers, Polly, and I'm going to be a keeper now, and marry you." "Are you, indeed?" said the girl indignantly. "That you just aren't, and if you ever dare to call me Polly again, I'll throw a bucket o' water over you." "Not you," said Magglin.
If we had a fight with some other boys, Eely and Dicksee would know, and we should have no chance to fight them then. I know. Let you and I fall out and have a set to." I whistled, and put my hands in my pockets. "Wouldn't that do?" he said. "No, not at all. It wouldn't be real, and " "Hold your tongue. Here's Magglin."
"Magglin!" and there, going across one of the fields beyond the road, was that individual, with the pockets of his jacket seeming to be sticking out; and the same idea struck us both. "He's been poaching!" But he passed out of sight directly, and we hurried on down to the lodge, to find Lomax standing at the door smoking his morning pipe. "Five minutes before your time," he said.
"Burn it? I should think not," he cried indignantly. "It looks queer, because it isn't finished. I'm going to make a natural history scene of that in a glass case. That's to be a rabbit just caught by a weasel, and I shall have the weasel holding on by the back of its neck, and the rabbit squealing." "Where's your weasel?" "Oh, I shall get Magglin or Bob Hopley to shoot me one some day.
"Oh, but I'm not going to," he replied; "I'll be as quiet as can be, and let old Eely say and do what he likes for the present. I feel as if I can bear it now. Don't you? There, come along up into the loft, and let's see if we can find our ferret. It does seem hard to lose that directly. Just, too, as one finds one has been cheated by old Magglin. I wish he'd sell that gun.
We're going to pay it all back some day." "Yes; but when?" I cried. Mercer shook his head. "I say," he continued, "I saw old Magglin this morning before breakfast." "What was he doing here?" "Dunno. Wanted to see me, I suppose, and borrow a shilling." "Did you lend him one?" "Yes; I felt obliged to." Just then Burr major came by us, and looked us both over sharply.
"Why, Magglin," cried Mercer, "you're after rabbits." "Nay, nay; rats. They comes after the taters. Been fishing?" "Come on," whispered Mercer, and he ran along by the hedge, turning once more to the left, and at last pulling up in a clump of fir-trees, on the north side of the big house. "Now then," he said, "I daresay the Doctor hasn't come back, and the ladies are sure to be with him.
If you give him anything, he says, `Thank-ye, and if you don't, he never seems to mind. He knows boys haven't always got any money. I wish Magglin would go right away."
"Then I 'spose it's their ferret in yon burrows, eh? there it is!" he continued, as the buff-looking, snaky animal now came out of one of the holes close by us, and Mercer stooped and picked it up as it made for the dead rabbit. "Oh yes, it's their farret, 'tarn't mine," said Magglin quickly. "Yes, it's my ferret, Mr Hopley," Mercer said dolefully. "And their nets, eh? Here, you stand still.
"Let's go and see it, Frank," cried Mercer, and we followed the slouching-looking fellow into the tool-shed, where a watering-pot stood, with a piece of slate over the half open top and a piece of brick laid on that. "There!" cried Magglin, removing the cover and taking out a sandy-coloured snaky-looking animal, with sharp nose and pink eyes, one which writhed about almost like an eel.
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