34. TEE SILVER FOX 



Mr. Glasgow looked at Slaney, at her old- 

 fasliioned habit, at her saddle, horned like 

 the moon, at the mare's tufted fetlocks and 

 dingy curb-chain, and realized that Miss 

 Morris's most sincere admirers could not 

 attribute to her the sacred quality of smart- 

 ness. With Mr. Glasgow, as with most of 

 his countrymen, smartness came next to 

 cleanliness and considerably in advance of 

 godliness. He had often ridden with Slaney, 

 and the points he now uncomfortably noted 

 had merely seemed an unimportant part of 

 the background of a life whose charm de- 

 pended on culture and not on fashion. He 

 wished that he had not persuaded her to 

 come out. 



The rain had turned to a thick mist ; the 

 hounds sat on the soaked grass in solemn 

 and disconsolate patience, looking as sapient 

 and as silly as only hounds can ; the crowd 

 of country boys remained as indifferent to 

 the weather as if it had been a summer 

 breeze; and after what seemed to the shiver- 

 ing riders a long delay, the emissary re- 



