store of prey. Every one was a feast to the eyes before our arrows
struck it, and now? When Hermon, with his pitying heart, condemns this
kind of hunting, he is right. It deprives free, harmless creatures of
their best possession--life--and us thereby of a pleasant sight. In
general, a bird's existence seems to me also of little value, but beauty,
to me as to you, transcends everything else. What would existence be
without it? and wherever it appears, to injure it is infamous."

Here a slight cough interrupted the young artist, and the moist glitter
of his blue eyes also betrayed that he was suffering from an attack of
severe pain in his lungs; but Daphne nodded assent to him, and to Hermon
also, and commanded the steward Gras to take the birds out of her sight.

"But," said the Bithynian, "our mistress will doubtless allow us at least
to take the hard lower part of the pelicans' beaks, and the wing feathers
of the flamingoes and birds of prey, to show our master on our return as
trophies."

"Trophies?" repeated the girl scornfully. "Hermon, you are better
than I and the rest of us, and I see that you are right. Where game
flies toward us in such quantities, hunting becomes almost murder. And
successes won by so slight an exertion offer little charm. The second
expedition before sunset, Gras, shall be given up. The master of the
hounds, with his men and the dogs, will return home on the transports
this very day. I am disgusted with sport here. Birds of prey, and those
only when brought down from the air, would probably be the right game in
this place."

"Those are the very ones to which I would grant life," said Hermon,
smiling, "because they enjoy it most."