I could almost hear Mackintyre gnashing his teeth at their
inroads on the forced strawberries, and the park and Elmwood Spinney
were dotted so thick with people, that we had to look sharp not to
fall in with any one."
"Elmwood Spinney!" exclaimed Allen; "you don't mean that they were
running riot over the preserves?"
"I don't think there were more than half-a-dozen there. Bauerson was
quite edified. He said, 'So! they had on your English Sunday quite
falsely me informed.' There were a couple of lovers spooning and
some children gathering flowers, and it had just the Arcadian look
dear to the German eye."
"Children," cried Allen, as if they were vipers. "That's just what I
told you, mother. If you will persist in throwing open the park, we
shall not have a pheasant on the place."
"My dear boy, I have seen them running about like chickens in a
farmyard."
"Yes, but what's the use, if all the little beggars in Kenminster are
to be let in to make them wild! And when you knew I particularly
wished to have something worth asking Prince Siegfried down to."
"Never mind, Allen," put in Janet; "you can ask him to shoot into the
poultry yard. The poor things are just as thick there, and rather
tamer, so the sport will be the more noble.
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