The Tin Box, and What it Contained

"Oh, yes I do. He may not care to stay with me all the afternoon, as hehas a headache."

"Probably I shan't be with you more than half an hour," said Philip.

"I'll walk a little way into the wood."

"Come along, then."

So the three passed into the woods together, Congreve in the middle, with Philip on one side and Harry on the other.

Philip and Congreve engaged in conversation, the latter apparentlyforgetting that he had a gun on his shoulder. Harry, however, rememberedthat he was guide to a sportsman, and kept on the lookout for birds.

"Hush! There's a partridge," he said, touching Congreve's arm andpointing to the bird.

James Congreve quickly brought his gun to rest and fired. He had verylittle skill, however, and the startled bird flew away, in less dangerthan if the gun had been in the hands of Harry.

"I didn't have time to take aim," said Congreve, apologetically. "Canyou shoot?"

"A little," answered Harry, modestly.

"If I had had the gun the bird wouldn't have got away," said Philip, boastfully.

"Take it, then," said Congreve.

"All right!"

So Philip took the gun and began to look out for birds.

He soon had an opportunity to show his skill. A bird was seen flyingslowly through the air.

"There's your chance, Phil!" said Congreve, quickly.

Philip raised the gun awkwardly, and it went off in quite a differentdirection from the one contemplated. But, as luck would have it, afoolish crow got in the way just at the critical moment, and receivedthe charge meant for another object.

"There; do you see that?" exclaimed Philip, triumphantly.

"You don't mean to say you intended to shoot that crow?" asked

Congreve.

"Of course I did!" answered Philip shortly, determined to get the creditof his success.

Harry could not help smiling. "What are you laughing at?" demanded

Philip, scowling.

"At the mistake I made," answered Harry, good-humoredly. "I thought youwere firing at the partridge."

"You see you were mistaken," said Philip, offensively.

"I see I was," returned Harry, quietly.

He thought it was foolish to get angry about such a trifle.

"Go and get the crow," said Philip, arrogantly.

It had fallen among some underbrush not far away.

"Shall I?" asked Harry, turning to Congreve, whom he recognized as hisemployer, and the only one entitled to order him about.

"What do you want it for, Philip?" asked Congreve. "It's only acrow – good for nothing."

"Never mind; I want it," answered Philip.

In truth, it was the first bird he had ever succeeded in shooting, though he would not have been willing to acknowledge this, and he wantedto display it at home as a trophy of his skill.

"Then you may get it," said Congreve, who, in spite of his dishonorablecharacter, was, in manners, more of a gentleman than Philip.

Harry at once plunged into the thicket, and not without difficultysucceeded in finding the crow, which he brought out and delivered toPhilip. The latter only consented to carry it on account of the pride hefelt in his success as a sportsman.

"Here, take this gun, Gilbert, and try your luck next," said Congreve.

"I suppose he will eclipse us all," Philip remarked, with a sneer.

"I don't know about that," returned Harry, good-naturedly. "I haven'tbeen out many times, not having any gun of my own."

"Look out that you don't shoot either of us," said Philip.

"I am not after such game as that," said Harry.

He took the gun, and began to look attentively in different directions, lest any chance should escape him. At length he espied a partridge. Heraised his gun quickly, took instant but accurate aim, and fired. Thebird was seen to flutter an instant and then fall.

"You've got him!" exclaimed Congreve, excitedly.

Harry ran in the direction of the bird's fall, and returned, flushedwith success. Philip's envy was aroused, inasmuch as a partridge was amore valuable prize than a crow.

"You were lucky," he said, with his usual sneer. "It was fortunate foryou that the bird got in the way."

"Rather unfortunate for the partridge, though!" said Harry, coolly.

"It wouldn't happen once in fifty times," continued Philip.

"This isn't the first partridge I've shot," answered Harry, quietly.

"Oh, I don't doubt you're a first-class gunner."

"I have great doubts on that subject myself," said Harry.

"You've both of you succeeded, while I shall have to go homeempty-handed," said Congreve, who had no particular ambition to shine asa sportsman.