"A king, surrounded by some of his officers, is seated in a large room; his dress and the furniture of the apartment show more cleanliness than luxury; brave, rough men are on bended knee before him; whilst their attendants are bringing in wolves' heads, and laying them at the feet of the king."
"Every one of them was obliged to bring three hundred heads yearly, were they not?" said Mrs. Macdonald.
"Yes, aunt; I am afraid I cannot puzzle you."
When the subject was more clearly made known, Annie asked, "Are there any wolves in Wales now, mama? I should be afraid to live there."
"No, my dear; as men have become more civilized, and the country more full of people, these and other wild animals have been driven into smaller spaces, until at last they have all been killed. This is not only the case in England, but in other countries; where colonies are spreading over formerly wild tracts of land, the wilder animals are fast disappearing."
"I am glad of it," rejoined Annie, drawing closer to her mother's knee, and looking round as if a wolf had been behind her.
"I will now describe a picture," said Mrs. Arabin. "At the gate of a castle, situated in a country where the ground near the sea never appears to rise into high hills, but spreads itself in undulating downs, we see a mild-looking young man on horseback. His horse is much heated; he wears a hunting-horn by his side, whilst thirsty dogs seem to envy their master the cup he is putting to his lips. An elderly woman, with sharp eyes, but a gracious smile on her face, has scarcely withdrawn her hand after presenting her young visitor with the cup, whilst a servant is at this moment plunging a dagger into the shoulder of the fair-haired youth on horseback."
The subject of this description was exclaimed by many little voices as soon as Mrs. Arabin had ceased to speak.
