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?It?s not r eally the done thing to kill a hind w ith young faw ns. It was pr obably a mistake,
or an accident like it says. They do happen, don?t they? Accidents??
She ignor ed his cr uel little dig. ?Well no w onder this place feels so gr imy and cr uel, if
that?s w hat it used to be. Hunting for spor t is bar bar ic.?
?No, not bar bar ic, Beth, an economic necessity. You have to just accept it. I r ead about
the Highland?s economic histor y in my degr ee. By the mid-1800s ther e was nothing left
her e? fishing, kelp, cattle, sheep, all these industr ies had collapsed for one r eason or
another. They had to star t managing the land for deer stalking to sur vive. Ther e w er e
plenty of r ich folk dow n south w illing to spend good money for the hunting in the
Highlands. It gave them employment, br ought in an income. They w er e ?being pr actical?.?
Why was he jibing her like this? She w ouldn?t be dr aw n, but she was incensed. ?Well, I
don?t accept it. Economics is no excuse for cr uelty. What kind of per son w ould kill for
pleasur e? How can it ever be enter taining to see a beautiful, innocent, living, feeling
cr eatur e cut dow n and killed? It?s bar bar ic. It leaves a stain; this place is stained!?
Simon?s eyes glinted. ?You?r e being r idiculous, Beth. Deer number s have to be contr olled,
and people do eat them, too. It?s not just for the spor t of it.?
?It?s not ?spor t?at all.?
?Well it is, and they?r e just? ? He hesitated a moment, know ing he should not say it. But
he did anyway. ?They?r e just animals.?
Beth star ed at him, at the hor r id look in his eye.
?You?r e callous,? she said at him. ?Cold and callous.? But she could not do this now. She
just wanted him to stop. She had to lift them out of it somehow. ?It?s all those bloody games
you play on Xbox,? and she for ced her self to smile.
He laughed lightly at her. ?Like the one you ?haven?t?bought me for Chr istmas? You have,
haven?t you??
She smiled back, shaking her head at him. ?Not till Chr istmas!?
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