lyS MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



closed her glasses with as much snap as they would make, 

 put her hands upon the table and rose with considerably 

 more effort than was actually required. She felt that if this 

 was one of Miss Badsworth's friends that lady's popularity 

 was at stake ; so she looked up the table and down the table 

 before she said a word, and no one would have guessed from 

 the dawn of a smile which hovered on her humorous face 

 that she was within an ace of giving Mrs. Dickinson a bit 

 of her mind. 



** I've always heard," she said, when she had addressed 

 the chair, " that when 7nen talk on subjects which they know 

 nothing about, they make — er — fools of themselves, and I 

 am perfectly sure under similar conditions I should do 

 the same." (Loud laughter and cries of " No, no ! ") " I 

 should, indeed, and so I am going to let the Humanitarian 

 Society pass. I will only say that horses, forage, meal, ser- 

 vants' wages and a vast circulation of money in the country 

 are some of the accompaniments of a ' fox chase '." (Cheers 

 and laughter.) " Now, there is a man down yonder to whom 

 all who are associated with the Cranston Hunt are indebted, 

 and have been for many years, Joseph Summers, a man who 

 but for a serious accident would be still capable of taking 

 his place in the field. I cannot help feeling that the descrip- 

 tion which we have just listened to must have sorely puzzled 

 him. At all events I feel it an honour to propose his health 

 with musical honours." 



And the old lady led those honours herself. 



Lady Flora had gauged her audience to a nicety, so with 

 her glass in her hand she stood whilst they sang themselves 

 into good-humour and cheered themselves hoarse. A whiff 

 of new-mown hay from the park beyond pervaded the tent 

 in the silence which followed, and a ray of sunlight struggled 

 through the canvas above and fell upon Joe Summers' silvery 

 hair as he stood waiting for the subsidence of the cheers 

 which were renewed on his rising to his feet. 



The old man's voice shook a little at first as he thanked 

 the company in general and Lady Flora in particular. Irre- 



