212 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



« 



in a dark habit, and one or two men clad in tweeds. He 

 closed his knife and rose to his feet. 



A brief pause was made in the field below, there evidently 

 was a consultation of some sort, then the first whip rode oft 

 to the right and the second whip to the left, whilst the rest 

 of the party rode slowly towards the covert until they were 

 hidden from view by the foliage of the trees. 



" Yoi over in ! Heu try ! " travelled up to Diccox with a 

 clear, bell-like sound. The runner stood listening with his 

 head slightly on one side. Then he nodded in the direction 

 of the terriers, who sat with cocked ears, and muttered, *' I 

 should never have thought it ". 



The occasional crack of a whip, or Miss Lavvy's voice, 

 was the only indication of the direction taken. Some 

 minutes of silence passed, then a hound spoke ; the silence 

 which followed was intensified until it was again broken 

 by the hound ; speedily a duet became a trio, and then Miss 

 Lavvy's cheer seemed to invoke a chorus, " Hew, for'rard, 

 for'rard ! " 



Along the top of the wood they came chirping merrily, 

 the sound rising and falling with the undulating surface of 

 the ground. More than once Diccox thought they had 

 turned back, till the squelching of a horse's hoofs in the wet 

 ride proved that that was not the case. 



Alf stood close to the butt of a tree like a statue, with a 

 hand extended behind his back towards the terriers, and his 

 eyes fixed upon the ride. 



In due course a fine cub appeared, stopped to listen and 

 then crossed over. The two terriers dashed to the limit of 

 their lead and fell over on their backs, drawing a rebuke 

 from their owner. 



Diccox's first impulse was to holloa ; it takes a man of 

 knowledge and discretion to hold his tongue on such an 

 occasion ; but the runner possessed both qualities. Hounds 

 were running well, the scent was good. The sound of a 

 horse with a creaking saddle made Diccox look behind him. 

 Captain Majendie was bustling up. 



