64 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



** No, she is not, Miss Badsworth," Jack Morgan replied 

 with confidence. 



" Do you mean to say Lavvy isn't capable of helping us 

 out of this fix at a pinch ? " Mr. Badsworth asked, turning 

 shortly upon the speaker. 



" Not a bit of it. 1 only answered the question which was 

 in Miss Badsworth's mind, at least as I gathered it." 



" Now, let us see what it comes to," Charles Badsworth 

 continued. " We may take it for granted Victor will dispute 

 the case and there will be an action of some sort. You seem 

 to think, Morgan, that stress would be laid on the intention ; 

 that, in fact, if Lavinia Badsworth had to keep up the hounds, 

 farm and estate, the same Lavinia would be included in the 

 hunting clause." 



*' That is what I fear would be the result," Jack replied. 



" Well, I don't know, the circumstances are peculiar, and 

 there are some good points to be made if some good, sport- 

 ing counsel like Hornicroft were engaged. There is nothing 

 to show that Hugo didn't know all about us, though we 

 weren't personally in touch of late years. Lavvy, for in- 

 stance, is specially down for five hundred pounds." 



He took a turn up the room, and addressed the company 

 of two from the far end. 



'* Here is a man," he said, "who has a two-days-a-week 

 country and a smart pack of hounds, a man addicted to 

 sport, but apparently a first-rate man of business. Now 

 would he be likely to ruin the country simply out of spite for 

 being taken away from it ? Well, he is aware that, from 

 the line she takes, his sister is a woman of business." 

 Lavinia held up her hand. *' Stop a bit, there is no evidence 

 that he didit't, as far as we know ; to her he devises his 

 estate and the hounds. Now comes the difficulty ; he would 

 be well aware that the said sister, though capable of busi- 

 ness, was no huntsman or huntswoman ; in fact, that the 

 art, for it is an art, can only be learnt by apprenticeship. 

 Would he ruin the sport and ruin the hounds ? Now, why 

 shouldn't he know that his niece, the other Lavinia, knew 



