MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 135 



tunately she possessed the Badsworth obstinacy, for Mrs. 

 Dickinson, with an eye to vacant shoes, took the opportunity 

 of rebuking her, and making reference to putting a hand to 

 the plough and looking back ; whereupon an admirer of 

 Miss Badsworth's, who had a personal objection to Mrs. 

 Dickinson, expressed herself astonished that that lady should 

 quote Scripture which she professed to disbelieve, and went 

 on to point out that in ploughing the sand the sooner one 

 looked back and discontinued the operation the better. Then 

 chaos reigned for a time. Lady Hodbearer, having had her 

 innings, smiled benignly, and lost what nerve she had. 

 Fortunately Miss Fortyfad, who had been invited to a recep- 

 tion by Lady Horatia St. Vincent (named, you know, after 

 the great naval hero), though she professed to despise the 

 aristocracy, moved the adjournment of the meeting. 



" I am sorry, Lavvy, that you should have had such an 

 unfortunate experience," Miss Badsworth said to her niece 

 as they bowled homewards in a hansom. 



*' It was unfortunate, certainly, auntie, for instead of con- 

 verting me, it was — well, just what I expected." 



" But you shouldn't be prejudiced, my dear. I believe in 

 some ways we have done a good deal of useful work." 



'' I am quite sure that people like you, auntie, do much 

 that is useful, but I don't believe that turning things upside 

 down is necessarily beneficial. I have tried it with oxlips 

 and polyanthus ; the cottagers used to say they would come 

 double, or of different colours, but my experience is that they 

 wouldn't come at all. It's a great pity that the bulk of those 

 people who quarrelled with one another just now haven't 

 got something to do to occupy their time. I felt myself 

 unwittingly quoting Dr. Watts about Satan and mischief 

 and idle hands. How they do hate one another, auntie ! " 



" My dear Lavvy, you are making a great mistake ; the 

 majority have their work at heart. It was unfortunate that 

 Lady Hodbearer was in the chair. She has only that one 

 idea of vegetarianism ; apart from inherent prejudices, her 

 scheme possesses insurm.ountable difficulties." 



