134 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



Jack left his companion at Verrey's at the appointed time, 

 declining to come in, being afraid that he might be comman- 

 deered to attend a meeting. 



" I'll call later," he said, '' to hear how you got on ; we 

 could have put in a better time somewhere else." Then, as 

 he raised his hat and walked away, he said to himself, " By 

 Jove, it's her hair, of course". 



Miss Badsworth looked lagged and worried as she ate her 

 luncheon and consulted notes at the same time ; she found 

 little opportunity of paying any attention to her niece who 

 was quite content to sit in silence. 



At two o'clock was the meeting of the Amalgamated Asso- 

 ciation of the Daughters of Freedom. 



Lavvy was amused but not impressed as she sat at the 

 back of the room. The apostle-esses of woman's freedom 

 showed the same infection of nature that belonged to their 

 less enlightened sisters. Rank outweighed efficiency when 

 Lady Hodbearer, who was slightly deaf, was elected to the 

 chair ; and the gloomy prophecy of one of Lavvy's neigh- 

 bours, ** Now we shall be here all day," appeared likely to 

 be fulfilled. Lady Hodbearer (whose husband, the great 

 contractor, had been made a baronet) was a staunch vege- 

 tarian, and (though it had nothing to do with the matter in 

 hand) took the opportunity, in the few words which she in- 

 tended to say, to air her favourite hobby ; and there being no 

 one to call her to order, maundered on, with many vain re- 

 petitions, until she collapsed like a burnt-out night-light, 

 leaving Lavvy to wonder what would become of "all sheep 

 and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field," together with 

 many livelihoods and much trade, if the good lady's ideas 

 were universally carried into effect. To this day she is not 

 quite sure what the object of the meeting was. 



Miss Badsworth, who spoke clearly in that pleasant voice 

 of hers, confined herself to expressing regret that she was 

 temporarily compelled by circumstances to sever herself 

 from much useful work ; this upset most calculations. For- 



