“It will pe good for the gress too, an’ that will please Muss Mully,” said Donald, now permanently appointed to the stables.
“H’m! she wull pe carin’ less for the gress, poy, than she wass used to do,” returned the groom. “It iss my opeenion that they wull pe all wantin’ to co away sooth pefore long.”
We refer to the above opinions because they were shared by the party assembled in Barret’s room, which was still retained as a snuggery, although its occupant was fully restored to normal health and vigour.
“You’ll be sure to get ‘that salmon’ next time you try, after all this rain, MacRummle,” said Mabberly. “At least, I hope you will before we leave.”
“Ay, and you must have another try with the repeater on the Eagle Cliff, Mac. It would never do to leave a lone widdy, as Quin calls it, after murdering the husband.”
“Perhaps I may have another day there,” answered the old gentleman, with a pleased smile; for although they roasted him a good deal for mistaking an eagle for a raven, and only gave him credit for a “fluke,” it was evident that he congratulated himself not a little on his achievement.
“Archie is having an awful time skinning and stuffing it,” said Eddie, who sat by the window dressing trout flies.
Junkie, who was occupied at another window, mending the top of his rod, remarked that nothing seemed to give Archie so much pleasure as skinning and stuffing something. “He’s always doing it,” said the youngster. “Whatever happens to die, from a tom-cat to a tom-tit, he gets hold of. I do believe if he was to die, he would try to skin and stuff himself!”
At that moment Archie entered the room.
“I’ve got it nearly done now,” he said, with a pleased expression, while he rubbed his not-over-clean hands. “I’ll set him up to-night and photograph him to-morrow, with Flo under his wings to show his enormous size.”