"Yes, at once." She went away, smiling and kissing her hand, hoping with an intensity of hope which burned within her like a flame, that when the doctor came and talked to Gilbert as had been arranged, the past might be wiped out and a new life begun in this quiet village of East England. In a minute there was a knock at the bedroom door. "Come in," Gilbert called out. Tumpany entered. Upon the red face of that worthy person there was a grin of sheer delight as he made his bow and scrape. Then he held up his right arm. He was grasping a leash of mallard, and the metallic blue-green and white upon the wings of the ducks shone in the sun. Gilbert leapt in his bed, and then put his hand to his bandaged head with a half groan.--"Good God!" he cried, "how the deuce did you get those?" "First of August, sir. Wildfowling begins!" "Heavens! so it is. I ought to have been out! I never thought about the date. Damn you for pitching me out of the dog-cart, William!" "Yessir! You've told me so before," Tumpany answered, his face reflecting the smile upon his master's. "What are they, flappers?" "No, sir, mature birds. I was out on the marshes before daylight. The birds were coming off the meils--and North Creake flat. First day since February, sir! You know what I was feeling like!" "Don't I, oh, don't I, by Jove! Now tell me. What were you using?" "Well, sir, I thought I would fire at nothing but duck on the first day. Just to christen the day, sir. So I used five and a half and smokeless diamond. Your cartridges." "What gun?" "Well, I used my old pigeon gun, sir. It's full choke, both barrels and on the meils it's always a case of long shots." "Why didn't you have one of my guns? The long-chambered twelve, or the big Greener ten-bore--they're there in the cupboard in the gun room, you've got the key! Did a whole sord of mallard come over, or were those three stragglers?" "A sord, sir. The two drakes were right and left shots and this duck came down too. As I said to the mistress just now, 'last year,' I said, 'Mr. Gilbert and I were out for two mornings after the first of August and we never brought back nothing but a brace of curlew--and now here's a leash of duck, M'm.'" "If you'd had a bigger gun, and a sord came over, you'd have got a bag, William! Why the devil didn't you take the ten-bore?" "Well, sir, I won't say as I didn't go and have a look at 'im in the gun room--knowing how they're flighting just now and that a big gun would be useful. But with you lying in bed I couldn't do it. So I went out and shot just for the honour of the house, as it were." "Well, I shall be up in a day or two, William, and I'll see if I can't wipe your eye!" "I hope you will, sir, I'm sure. There's quite a lot of mallard about, early as it is." "I'll get among them soon, Tumpany!" "Yessir--the Mistress I think, sir, and the doctor."