MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 87 



croquet, and I have never even seen ping-pong, but I can 

 read and write, and those 'terrible books,' as you call them, 

 present no horrors to me. I have been used to them since 

 I was fifteen." 



" Do you really think you could undertake it, Lavvy ? '* 

 Miss Badsworth asked doubtfully. 



" Those — how many are there, aunt ? Sixty-nine did you 

 say ? Those sixty-nine thought they could, I am only one 

 more — the seventieth ; you could but fall back upon one of 

 the others if I didn't do." 



Miss Lavvy smiled as she looked at her aunt's perplexed 

 face. 



" I was thinking of the disappointment of all the rest," 

 Miss Badsworth said. 



" But you were not going to engage them all, were you, 

 aunt ? There would have been sixty-eight disappointments 

 if I hadn't come." 



"There will be so much for you to do, Lavvy." 



" Never mind, I'm not afraid of work." 



" But there are those dreadful hounds. I went to the 

 kennels the other day, and though I don't like to own it, 

 I was frightened to death, some of them seemed so savage 

 and ill-tempered." 



To her surprise Miss Badsworth found a pair of strong 

 arms round her neck and a laughing face suddenly close to 

 her own. 



"Auntie, I'm so glad the stupid papers made such a 

 mess of your description. I was so afraid you were what 

 they call an advanced woman, though I have never seen 

 one ; never mind the hounds, they will have to eat me before 

 you come on, and I'm not the least afraid of them." 



Miss Badsworth attempted to withdraw herself from her 

 niece's clasp, but she was held close to the laughing face. 



" I hope I am an ' advanced woman,' as you call it, 

 Lavvy," she said, with attempted dignity. 



"And I trust you are, auntie, for then they must be very 

 charming people. / believe your heart is too big for your 



