142 THE MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 



squire, that Mr. Job, the coachman, should have been in the 

 plot, and sell his young mistress for fifty pounds ! he has cut it, 

 sir, already, and left Hobert to drive the carriage home; so 

 altogether, squire, what with my lord's under-keepers, and Mr. 

 Harcourt's coachman, there's a pretty kettle of fish boiled up 

 to-night." 



" Can all this be really true, Mark ? " inquired Mrs. Gordon 

 in surprise. 



"As true, my lady, as that Mark Hosier is sitting down 

 drinking tea and eating bread and butter in this chair." 



"Oh, Blanche ! my darling child," exclaimed her aunt, fold- 

 ing her again in her arms, "what a set of villains have been 

 plotting your ruin ! and Lord Mervyn, too, with a daughter of 

 his own. Poor dear child ! you shall never leave me any more." 



" That's right, my lady," chimed in Mark, " don't ever trust 

 that dear, sweet angel out of your sight again, unless with the 

 young squire; or who knows, that rascally lord may send 

 another lot of ruffians down to carry her off again ; don't let 

 her go to Throseby no more, ma'am, for here Mark and the 

 poachers will watch over her day and night." 



" Really, Mark ! after this fearful work, I think I must 

 retain you and two of your men as my body-guard." 



"So you shall, my lady; and we will enter on our service 

 to-morrow, and woe betide any half-dozen fellows who dare 

 touch Miss Blanche again." 



A ring at the hall bell was now heard, on which Mark, jump- 

 ing up from his chair, said, " That's the doctor, ladies ; and with 

 many thanks for your kindness, I will run off and see how my 

 patient fares." 



Mr. Morgan, the sporting surgeon, now made his appearance ; 

 and after paying his compliments to the ladies, turned to shake 

 hands with Beauchamp. 



"Well, squire," said the good humoured doctor, "because 

 you could not be hunting, you have been doing a little bit of 

 fighting during the frost, eh 1 " 



" Not willingly, doctor ; but first step into the servants' hall, 

 there's a worse case there — mine will keep. After that, I will 

 go with you into the dining-room, where you can examine my 

 scratch." 



"Well, as you please," replied Morgan, "if Mrs. Gordon 

 lias no objection." 



" William appears much easier now," she said ; " and as he 

 wishes it, perhaps you had better go there first." 



