“Com’st along, sir!” urged the Bryanite.  But the Squire stood irresolute, muttering to himself.

“Com’st along, sir!”

“Lev’ me be, I tell ’ee!” He laid both hands on the gate and spoke across it to Mr. Raymond, his head nodding while his voice rose.

“D’ee hear what they say?  I’m saved.  I’m the Squire of this parish, and I’m goin’ to Heaven.  I make no account of you and your church.  Old Satan’s the fellow I’m after, and I’m going to have him out o’ this parish to-night or my name’s not Squire Moyle.”

“That’s of it, Squire!” “Hunt ’en!” “Out with ’en!”

He turned on the crowd.

“Hunt ’en?  Iss fay I will!  Come along, boys—­back to Tredinnis!  No, no”—­this to the Bryanite—­“we’ll go back.  I’ll show ’ee sport—­ we’ll hunt th’ old Divvle by scent and view to-night.  I’m Squire Moyle, ain’t I?  And I’ve a pack o’ hounds, ha’n’t I?  Back, boys—­ back, I tell ’ee!”

Lizzie Pezzack swung her torch.  “Back—­back to Tredinnis!” The crowd took up the cry, “Back to Tredinnis!” The old man shook off the Bryanite’s hand, and as the procession wheeled and reformed itself confusedly, rushed to the head of it, waving his hat—­

“Back!—­Back to Tredinnis!”

“God help them!” said Mr. Raymond; and taking Taffy by the arm, drew him back into the church.

The shouting died away up the road.  For three-quarters of an hour father and son worked in silence.  The reddened sky shed its glow gently through the clear glass windows, suffusing the shadows beneath the arched roof.  And in the silence the lad wondered what was happening up at Tredinnis.

Jim the Whip took oath afterward that it was no fault of his.  He had suspected three of the hounds for a day or two—­Chorister, White Boy, and Bellman—­and had separated them from the pack.  That very evening he had done the same with Rifler, who was chewing at the straw in a queer fashion and seemed quarrelsome.  He had said nothing to the Squire, whose temper had been ugly for a week past.  He had hoped it was a false alarm—­had thought it better to wait, and so on.

The Squire went down to the kennels with a lantern, Jim shivering behind him.  They had their horses saddled outside and ready, and the crowd was waiting along the drive and up by the great gates.  The Squire saw at a glance that two couples were missing, and in two seconds had their names on his tongue.  He was like a madman.  He shouted to Jim to open the doors.  “Better not, maister!” pleaded Jim.  The old man cursed, smote him across the neck with the butt-end of his whip, and unlocked the doors himself.  Jim, though half stunned, staggered forward to prevent him, and took another blow, which felled him.  He dropped across the threshold of Chorister’s kennel; the doors of all opened outwards, and the weight of his body kept this one shut.  But he saw the other three hounds run out, saw the Squire turn with a ghastly face, drop the lantern, and run for it as White Boy snapped at his boot.  Jim heard the crash of the lantern and the snap of teeth, and with that he fainted off in the darkness.  He had cut his forehead against the bars of the big kennel, and when he came to himself one of the hounds was licking his face through the grating.