Burr Junior | Page 8

things here, only on the sly. I had so many, the Doctor put a stop to all the boys keeping things, rabbits, and white mice, and all. That's why I stuff."
"What is?"
"Because you can keep frogs, and jays, and polecats, and snakes, and anything, and they don't want to be fed."
"What a nice cottage!" I said suddenly, as we came upon a red-brick, red-tiled place, nearly all over ivy.
"Yes, that's Polly Hopley's--and hi! there goes old Hopley."
A man in a closely fitting cap and brown velveteen jacket, who was going down the road, faced round, took a gun from off his shoulder and placed it under his arm.
He was a big, burly, black-whiskered man, with brown face and dark eyes, and he showed his white teeth as he came slowly to meet us.
"Well, Master Mercer?" he said. "Why ain't you joggryfing?"
"Whole holiday. New boy. This is him. Burr junior, this is Bob Hopley, General's keeper. Chuck your cap up in the air, and he'll make it full of shot-holes. He never misses."
"Oh yes, I do," said the keeper, shaking his head; "and don't you do as he says. Charge of powder and shot's too good to be wasted."
"Oh, all right. I say, got anything for me?"
"No, not yet. I did knock over a hawk, but I cut his head off."
"What for? With your knife?"
"No-o-o! Shot. You shall have the next. Don't want a howl, I s'pose?"
"Yes, yes, a white one. Do shoot one for me, there's a good chap."
"Well, p'raps I may. I know where there's a nest."
"Do you? Oh, where?" cried Mercer. "I want to see one, so does he-- this chap here."
"Well, it's in the pigeon-cote up agen Dawson's oast-house, only he won't have 'em touched."
"What a shame!"
"Says they kills the young rats and mice. Like to go and see it?"
"Yes."
"Well, I'm going round by Rigg's Spinney, and I'll meet you at the farm gates. Jem Roff'll let you go up if I ask him."
"How long will you be?"
"Hour! Don't forget!"
"Just as if we should!" cried Mercer, as the keeper shouldered his gun again and marched off. "It's rather awkward, though."
"What is?" I said.
"Being friends with Magglin and Bob Hopley too, because they hate each other awfully. But then, you see, it means natural history, don't it?"
He looked at me as if he meant me to say it, so I said, "Yes."
"An hour. What shall we do for an hour? 'Tisn't long enough to go to the hammer pond, nor yet to hunt snakes, because we should get so interested that we should forget to come back. But, I say, would you rather go back to the school field, where the other chaps are, or come back and pick out your garden? We've all got gardens. Or have a game at rounders, or--"
"No, no no," I said. "I like all this. It's all new to me. I was never in the country like this before."
"Then you do like it?"
"Of course."
"That's right. Then you will not mind old Rebble's impositions, and the Doctor being disagreeable, and going at us, nor the boys pitching into you, as they all do--the big ones--when the Doctor's pitched into them. Why, you don't look so miserable now as you did."
"Don't I?"
"No. It's awful coming away from home, I know, and I do get so tired of learning so many things. You do have to try so much to get to know anything at all. Now, let's see what shall we do for an hour?"
"Go for a walk," I suggested.
"Oh, that's no good, without you're going to do something. I know; we'll go back and make Magg lend us his ferret, and then we'll try for a rabbit."
"Very well," I said eagerly.
"No, that wouldn't do, because his ferret's such a beggar."
"Is he?" I said.
"Yes; he goes into a hole in a bank and comes out somewhere else, far enough off, and you can't find him, or else he goes in and finds a rabbit, and eats him, and then curls up for a sleep, and you waiting all the time. That wouldn't do; there isn't time enough. You want all day for that, and we've only got an hour. Wish I hadn't said we'd go and see the owls."
"Shall we sit down and wait?" I suggested.
"No, no. I can't wait. I never could. It's horrid having to wait. Here, I know. It's lunch-time, and we're here. Let's go into Polly Hopley's and eat cakes and drink ginger-beer till it's time to go."
"Very well," I said, willingly enough, for walking had made me thirsty.
"I haven't got any money, but Polly will trust me."
"I've got some," I ventured to observe.
"Ah, but you mustn't spend that. You've got to help pay for the gun. Come on.--Here, Polly, two bottles of ginger-beer, and sixpenn'orth of bis--I say, got