MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 91 



recognised it as an old friend. " It depends rather whence 

 the difficulties and opposition, as you call them, come." 



" I suppose it does. I recollect, as a child, some medi- 

 cines which one was made to take were much nicer than 

 others. But I call that yonder really nice medicine." 



" Lavvy, when I used to come down here for Christmas, 

 or perhaps a little later, I wouldn't have believed I should 

 ever live to hate the thought of hounds and horses." 



" I daresay not, auntie ; but I think other worries are 

 quite as much to blame. You don't believe in omens, and 

 you don't believe in prophecies, and I don't know that I 

 do much, but when you first aroused me out of my day- 

 dream, or evening dream, or whatever it was, I was thinking 

 of Victor Bickersdyke, my " 



" Lavvy ! you don't mean " 



*' Mean what, auntie ? Oh, no ! I was going to say 

 cousin." 



"Yes, of course, I know; and your father said he was a 

 good deal in Cornwall." 



" Well, I was on the point of saying that I was thinking 

 if after all our efforts our plans went wrong, what Victor 

 would do with this beautiful place. From what I know of 

 him, aunt, I think he would be far more at sea than you 

 could possibly be. I thought in all probability he would 

 make a study of that cedar (some of his pictures are fairly 

 good), and just then I saw the moon glimmer amongst the 

 lower branches and gradually rise up, up, sometimes hidden, 

 sometimes clear and bright, till — look at it now, auntie, 

 throwing our shadows on the path." 



Miss Badsworth's eyes were fixed on 'the girl's upturned 

 face with the moonlight shining full upon it, and bringing 

 out not only the resolute chin, but the corners of the mouth 

 with their upward curve. 



" Omen or no omen, auntie, it's my first night here and 

 I shall look upon it as your moon ; you going up, up, ever 

 so high, and shedding light all round. Why not ? See ? " 



Miss Badsworth laughed softly. 



