MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 163 



slowly along beside the bracken with her horn in her hand, 

 uttering an occasional word of warning as ever and anon a 

 young hound gazed wistfully at forms retreating swiftly be- 

 neath the beech trees. 



" We had better stick to the road just here," Jack said to 

 his companion. " It's sometimes a ticklish job with young 

 hounds amidst deer ; you see they have to learn to leave 

 them alone like sheep or cattle." 



'' Have they ? Why ? " 



" Few people not in the know are aware how much edu- 

 cation comes in to the making of a pack of hounds." 



" How does Miss Badsworth know about it?" 



"I suppose just as a national schoolmistress learns her 

 trade, but I don't know. I have only seen her out once, and 

 then she certainly surprised me. Ah ! that's unlucky 1 " 



A fallow hind jumped out of a patch of fern close beside 

 the pack, and in a moment two, three, five couples of young 

 hounds were in hot pursuit, and the two whips riding for all 

 they were worth to stop them. 



" Gar away baik ! War riot ! " accompanied by the sharp 

 cracking of whips, resounded in the clear morning air in 

 spite of the merry chorus of the erring hounds. 



" It sounds very cheery, doesn't it ? " Jack said. " Like 

 many other things in this world, it's a pity that it's wrong. 

 Perhaps the sound of hounds in full cry does not appeal to 

 you, Mrs. Dickinson, and I daresay you are not aware that 

 there are few young women in England who would, under 

 the circumstances, have sufficient presence of mind to do 

 what Miss Badsworth is doing." 



" To me she appears to be doing nothing beyond sitting 

 still on her horse." 



" That's just it," Jack replied, without taking his eyes off 

 the little figure in the red coat. 



Lavvy waited patiently. " Wanderer," " Capstan," *' Peni- 

 tent," were names which travelled up to the two spectators on 

 the higher ground, as the girl rated individual members of the 

 pack who seemed inclined to join with their erring brethren. 



II * 



