'Oh, Miss Anne,' cried Martha, colouring up with excitement and fear, 'it
is a young leveret Mrs. Jones, the gamekeeper's wife, gave me for some
knitting I'd done for her; she said it 'ud be a treat for grandfather.
I've been cooking it all evening, ma'am, and it's very toothsome. If
you'd only just taste a mouthful, it 'ud make me ever so proud.'

'Thank you, Martha,' said Miss Anne, smiling; 'I am quite hungry with
climbing the hill, and if it is as good as the bread you gave me the
other day, I shall enjoy having my supper with you.'

Stephen scarcely heard what Miss Anne said to him, while he watched
Martha bustling about to reach out a grand china plate, which was one of
the great treasures of their possessions; and he looked on silently as
she chose the daintiest morsels of the stew; but when she moved the
little table nearer to the door, and laid the plate and knife and fork
upon it, before Miss Anne, he started to his feet, unable to sit still
and see her partake of the food which he had procured in such a manner.

'Don't touch it! don't taste it, Miss Anne!' he cried excitedly. 'Oh,
please to come out with me to the bent of the hill, and I'll tell you
why. But don't eat any of it!'

He darted out at the door before Martha could stop him, and ran down the
green path to a place where he was out of sight and hearing of his home,
waiting breathlessly for Miss Anne to overtake him. It was some minutes
before she came, and her face was overcast and troubled; but she listened
in silence, while, without concealment, but with many bitter and
passionate words against the gamekeeper, and excuses for his own conduct,
he confessed to her all the occurrences of the night before. Every moment