Margery went quickly to the house and changed her shoes for a stronger pair; then, seeing the look of eagerness on Pauline’s face, she good-naturedly told the maid to put on a hat, and they started together. The sound of voices and of heavy blows led them to the exact spot, and Pauline, in her excitement, could not repress little shrieks and exclamations of astonishment. As they turned the corner the earl came toward them; he had removed his coat, and, with his strong right hand grasping the ax, his face flushed from the unwonted exercise, he looked almost handsome. “Come here, my darling,” he said, leading Margery to a safe nook. “Crosbie, stand by my wife. We shall soon have it down, poor old tree! How well I remember it in my schoolboy days! You are frightened, Margery!” “No,” she answered, with a smile, though her heart thrilled with strange apprehension. The squire came to her, looking rather despondent. “I find that years have greatly lessened my strength,” he remarked, with a little sigh, “and I must look on now.” Margery did not answer; she was watching her husband. She heard his clear, ringing voice directing the men, saw his straight even strokes, and the excitement overcame her dread. It was a novel scene, and one that pleased her, though the sight of the gray dead trunk, the remains of a noble flourishing tree, saddened her somewhat. Pauline cowered and shrieked as she heard the great, rough mass creak; but Margery never moved; the bustle and vigor of the men roused her spirit--she almost longed to assist. The earl, glancing now and then at the group of watchers, caught the gleam of her eyes, and, smiling, he waved his hand toward the girlish figure that looked so fair and graceful in its white robes against the background of young trees and bushes. “It was not such a tough job as it looked,” observed the squire, as he watched the men throw stout ropes round the great trunk and knot them firmly, preparatory to dragging the tree to earth. Margery nodded her head absently; she was lost in the excitement of the moment. She saw the earl wave them further back toward the bushes, felt Pauline draw her on one side, though her eyes never left her husband’s form, and then came a moment of silence. Suddenly a mighty crash sounded in her ears, while a cloud of dust obscured her vision. “Is it all over?” she asked, vaguely, turning to the squire; but her cousin had left her side and was hurrying to the group of men. “Miladi will return?” queried Pauline, with a little shudder. “Ah, what terrible noise!” “I will wait for Lord Court,” answered Margery; then, after a little pause: “But, Pauline, what is the matter? Some one is hurt!” “They crowd together--that is all, miladi. Shall I go and see?” “No; I will.”