142 THE MASTEft OP THE HOUNDS. 



iquire, that Mr. Job, the coachman, should have iDeen in tliQ 

 ;>lot, and sell his young mistress for fifty pounds ! he has cut it, 

 sir, already, and left Robert 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 Kosier is sitting down 

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



" Oh, Blanclie ! 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 sij^uire ; 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 wiU 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 ? " 



" 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," rei)lied Morgan, "if Mrs. Gordon 

 has no objection." 



" William ajipears much easier now," she said j " and as he 

 '^hes it, perha|>s you had better go there first." 



