Behind her galloped two men, whom I had not seen
before. In an instant, they were swooped down to the place where
the dog-fox had passed. The hounds gave tongue when they smelt
the rank scent of their proper game; they were unused to
boy-hunting. They did not hesitate an instant, but swung off as
wild as puppies over the hedge, after the fox. The horsemen
paused for a second, surprised at the sudden sharp turn; but they
followed the hounds' lead, popping over the fence most nimbly,
not waiting to look for my tracks in the banks of the hedge. They
streamed away after the fox, to whom I wished strong legs. I knew
that with two young hounds they would never catch him, but I
hoped that he would give them a good run before the sun killed
the scent. I looked at the sun, now gloriously bright over all
the world, putting a bluish glitter on to the shaking oak leaves
of the wood. How came it that they had discovered my flight so
soon since it could not be more than six o'clock, if as much? I
wondered if it had been the old carter, who had never really seen
me. It might have been the old carter; but doubtless he drummed
for a good while on the door of the stable before anybody heard
him. Or it might have been one of the garden sentries. One of the
sentries might well have peeped in at the window of my room to
make sure that I was up to no pranks. He could have seen from the
window that my bed was empty. If he had noticed that, he could
have unlocked my door to make sure, after which it would not have
taken more than a few minutes to start after me.
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