This story, THE BACKGROUND, and MRS PACKLETIDE'S TIGER seem to me to be the masterpieces of this book. In both of them Clovis exercises, needlessly, his titular right of entry, but he can be removed without damage, leaving Saki at his best and most characteristic, save that he shows here, in addition to his own shining qualities, a compactness and a finish which he did not always achieve. With these I introduce you to him, confident that ten minutes of his conversation, more surely than any words of mine, will have given him the freedom of your house. A. A. MILNE. CONTENTS ESME THE MATCH-MAKER TOBERMORY MRS. PACKLETIDE'S TIGER THE STAMPEDING OF LADY BASTABLE THE BACKGROUND HERMANN THE IRASCIBLE--A STORY OF THE GREAT WEEP THE UNREST-CURE THE JESTING OF ARLINGTON STRINGHAM SREDNI VASHTAR ADRIAN THE CHAPLET THE QUEST WRATISLAV THE EASTER EGG FILBOID STUDGE, THE STORY OF A MOUSE THAT HELPED THE MUSIC ON THE HILL THE STORY OF ST. VESPALUUS THE WAY TO THE DAIRY THE PEACE OFFERING THE PEACE OF MOWSLE BARTON THE TALKING-OUT OF TARRINGTON THE HOUNDS OF FATE THE RECESSIONAL A MATTER OF SENTIMENT THE SECRET SIN OF SEPTIMUS BROPE "MINISTERS OF GRACE" THE REMOULDING OF GROBY LINGTON ACKNOWLEDGMENT ESME "All hunting stories are the same," said Clovis; "just as all Turf stories are the same, and all--" "My hunting story isn't a bit like any you've ever heard," said the Baroness. "It happened quite a while ago, when I was about twenty-three. I wasn't living apart from my husband then; you see, neither of us could afford to make the other a separate allowance. In spite of everything that proverbs may say, poverty keeps together more homes than it breaks up. But we always hunted with different packs. All this has nothing to do with the story." "We haven't arrived at the meet yet. I suppose there was a meet," said Clovis. "Of course there was a meet," said the Baroness; all the usual crowd were there, especially Constance Broddle. Constance is one of those strapping florid girls that go so well with autumn scenery or Christmas decorations in church. 'I feel a presentiment that something dreadful is going to happen,' she said to me; 'am I looking pale?' "She was looking about as pale as a beetroot that has suddenly heard bad news. "'You're looking nicer than usual,' I said, 'but that's so easy for you.' Before she had got the right bearings of this remark we had settled down to business; hounds had found a fox lying out in some gorse-bushes." "I knew it," said Clovis, "in every fox-hunting story that I've ever heard there's been a fox and some gorse-bushes."