146 THE SILVER FOX 



group, and an eye accustomed to the usual 

 muster would have noticed at once the 

 absence of Mr. Glasgow ; he was one of the 

 people whose presence makes itself felt in 

 all the varied fortunes of a day's hunting. 

 As the minutes passed, and the horses 

 nibbled idly at the gorse in the fence, the 

 dispensary doctor closed the top of his flask 

 with a snap, and remarked facetiously that 

 he supposed business must sometimes come 

 before pleasure, even with railway con- 

 tractors. 



Lady Susan was at a little distance, 

 apparently absorbed, as was her wont, in 

 attentiveness to what was going on in 

 covert. At the laugh that followed Dr. 

 Hallahane's remark, she moved away, and 

 rode slowly along the edge of the wood. 

 She was on Solomon, who had already taken 

 full note of a lighter hand, a lighter weight, 

 and the absence of spurs : he had had ideas 

 about bucking on the road to testify his 

 appreciation of these things, but on finding 

 that Lady Susan had also ideas of her own 



