He returns her smile easily enough, though his is a faint and quiet kind of smile. "I hope you enjoy them," he says.

"No, I don't hunt deer with hounds. That's for the riding parties. I stalk the deer, myself. Dogs might lose patience with that. Too long and too quiet for them, on the whole. Mine are well-trained enough to manage, but I bring them out mainly for birds and other small game."

He speaks of the animals fondly, himself. They're loyal companions. Sometimes he thinks he prefers them to people (with some exceptions). "They're good dogs."