"O thou dear, kind lad!" said Katharine, whilst all the clouds dispersed from her forehead, and her eyes swam in a shower of glittering tears. "If thou wilt do this for my sake then do so, and speak to my father without delay, before he can possibly make any promise to Robert.”

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Stay, Kate: I'll go after him this moment into the forest. He's gone in search of the venison, I dare say, that is to be delivered to-morrow into the office. Give me a gun and a pouch; I'll find him out, meet him with a jolly hunter's salutation, and offer my services to him as his hunting-boy."

Both mother and daughter fell upon his neck; helped to equip the new huntsman to the best of their skill; and looked after him, as he disappeared in the forest, with hope, but yet with some anxiety.

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II.

Upon my soul, but this William's a fine fellow!" exclaimed the forester as he returned home with his comrade from the chase. "Who the deuce would ever have looked for such a good shot in the flourisher of a crow-quill? Well; to-morrow I shall speak with the bailiff myself; for it would be a sad pity if he were not to pursue the noble profession of hunting. Why, he'll make a second Kuno. You know who Kuno was, I suppose?" said he, turning to William.

William acknowledged that he did not.

"Not know who Kuno was? bless my soul! to think that I should never have told you that. Why, Kuno, you're to understand, was my great-grandfather's father; and was the very first man that ever occupied and cultivated this farm. He began the world no better, I'll assure you, than a poor riding-boy; and lived servant with the

young knight of Wippach. Ah! the knight liked him well, and took him to all places, battles, tournaments, hunts, and what not. Well, once upon a time it happened that this young gentleman of Wippach was present with many other knights and nobles at a great hunt held by the duke. And in this hunt the dogs turned up a stag, upon which a man was seated wringing his hands and crying piteously; for, in those days, there was a tyrannical custom among the great lords, that, when a poor man had committed any slight matter of trespass against the forest laws, they would take and bind him on the back of the stag, so that he was bruised and gored to death by the herd, or if he escaped dying that way, he perished of hunger and thirst. Well, when the duke saw this O lord! but he was angry; and gave command to stop the hunting; and there and then he promised a high reward to any man that would undertake to hit the stag, but threatened him with his severest displeasure in case he wounded the man; for he was resolved, if possible, to take him alive, that he might learn who it was that had been bold enough to break his law, which forbade all such murderous deeds. Now, amongst all the nobility, not a man could be found that would undertake the job on these terms. They liked the reward, mind you, but not the risk. So, at last, who should step forward but Kuno, my own great-grandfather's father, -the very man that you see painted in that picture. He spoke up boldly before the duke, and said: 'My noble liege, if it is your pleasure, with God's blessing, I will run the hazard; if I miss, my life is at your Grace's disposal, and must pay the forfeit; for riches and worldly goods I have none to ransom it; but I pity the poor man; and without fee or reward, I would have exposed my life to the same hazard if I had seen him in the hands of enemies or robbers.' This speech pleased the duke: it pleased him right well: and

he bade Kuno try his luck; and again he promised him the reward in case he hit; but he did not repeat his threat in case he missed; that was, mind you, lest he should frighten him and make his hand unsteady. Well, Kuno took his gun, cocked it in God's name, and, commending the ball with a pious prayer to the guidance of good angels, he spent no time in taking aim, but fired with a cheerful faith right into the midst of a thicket: in the same moment out rushed the hart, staggered, and fell; but the man was unwounded, except that his hands and face were somewhat scratched by the bushes.

"The noble duke kept his word, and gave Kuno, for his reward, the farm of the forest to himself and his heirs for ever. But, lord bless us! good fortune never wanted envy; and the favor of Providence, as Kuno soon learned, is followed by the jealousy of man. Many a man there was, in those days, who would gladly have had Kuno's reward; one man for himself, perhaps; another for some poor cousin or so, or maybe something nearer of kin, but come of the wrong side the blanket: and what did they do but they persuaded the duke that Kuno's shot had hit the mark through witchcraft and black arts: 'For why?' said they, 'Kuno never took any aim at all, but fired at random "a devil's shot;" and a devil's shot, you're to understand, never fails of hitting the mark; for needs must that the devil drives.' So hereupon a regulation was made, and from this the custom came, that every descendant of Kuno must undergo a trial, and fire what they call his probationary shot before he is admitted tenant. However, the master of the hounds, before whom the trial takes place, can make it easy or difficult at his own pleasure. When I was admitted, guess what the master required of me: why, from the bill of a wooden bird to shoot out a ring that fastened the bird to

a pole. Well, well: up to this time not one of all Kuno's descendants has failed in his trial: and he that would be my son-in-law and a worthy successor to me- let me tell you, William, that man had need to make himself a thorough huntsman.”

William, who had listened to this story with lively interest (as the old forester had not failed to remark with much satisfaction), rose from his seat when it was ended, pressed the old man's hand, and promised, under his tuition, to make himself a huntsman such as even old father Kuno should have had no cause to blush for.

III.

William had scarcely lived one whole fortnight at the forest house in his capacity of huntsman, when old Bertram, who liked him better every day, gave a formal consent to his marriage with Katharine. This promise, however, was to be kept secret until the day of the probationary shot, when the presence of the ducal master of the hounds would confer a splendor on the ceremony of the betrothing which was flattering to the old man's pride. Meantime the bridegroom elect passed his time in rapturous elevation of spirits, and forgot himself and all the world in the paradise of youthful love; so that father Bertram often said to him tauntingly, that from the day when he had hit his prime aim in obtaining Katharine's heart he had hit nothing else. The fact, however, was, that from that very day William had met with an unaccountable run of ill-luck in hunting. Sometimes his gun would miss fire; at other times, instead of a deer, he would hit the trunk of a tree. Was his hunting-bag emptied on his return home? Instead of partridges, out came daws and crows, and, instead of a hare, perhaps a

dead cat. At last the forester began to reproach him in good earnest for his heedlessness; and Kate herself became anxious for the event of his examination before the duke's commissioner.

William redoubled his attention and diligence; but the nearer the day of trial advanced, so much the more was he persecuted by bad luck. Nearly every shot missed; and at length he grew almost afraid of pulling a trigger for fear of doing some mischief; for he had already shot a cow at pasture, and narrowly escaped wounding the herdsman.

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Nay, I stick to my own opinion," said huntsman Rudolph one night, "somebody has cast a spell over William; for in the regular course of nature such things could never happen; and this spell he must undo before ever he'll have any luck."

"Pooh! pooh! man, what stuff you talk!" replied Bertram. "This is nothing but superstitious foolery, such as no Christian hunter should ever so much as name. Canst tell me now, my fine fellow, what three articles be those which make an able sportsman's stock in trade?” "Ay, my old cock of the woods, I can tell you that,” said Rudolph clearing his throat, "or else it were a pity:

:

'A dog, a gun, and a skilful hand,

In the forest are better than house or land.'"

"Good," said Bertram, " and these three together are an overmatch for all the spells in Germany."

"With your leave, father Bertram," replied William, somewhat chagrined, "here is my gun; and I should be glad to see the man that has any fault to find with that: as to my skill, I will not boast of it; yet I think it can't be denied that I do as well as others: nevertheless, so it is,