226 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



and partly owing to the absence of male authority people 

 forgot to use any little judgment they possessed when their 

 blood was up. 



Charles Badsworth paid a visit to Cranston in the early 

 October days. 



"You are thin, little girl," he said when first he saw his 

 daughter. " Now, tell me, is this hard work doing you any 

 harm, because if so we will jack the whole thing up. All the 

 money in the world couldn't make up for you, Lavvy." 



" You dear old thing, I knew you would say that. I assure 

 you I never felt better in my life. I have lost nearly a stone in 

 weight, but I'm getting into hard condition. It takes a long 

 day to tire me out now, and auntie lets me off dinner parties 

 and functions of that sort. I'm just wanting you to come 

 out once or twice, dad ; I rarely can get room when I want 

 it. I tried not letting them know when I got away, but it 

 was a mistake ; they think I'm always going to do it." 



'' Of course they do, child. I must speak to your aunt 

 about it." 



Rattling Hoxton Wood was a necessity before the sea- 

 son proper commenced, but owing to the proximity of Mr. 

 Tucker's coverts at Berryhead, the fixture was postponed as 

 long as possible. It was a windy day when hounds went to 

 draw the covert, and as Hoxton Wood clothed two sides of a 

 low hill it was a difficult place in which either to see or hear 

 what was going on. 



All precautions were taken to guard the Berryhead side ; 

 there were foxes on foot, for it was a favourite stronghold, 

 but the scent was poor in the covert itself. Lavvy worked 

 hard and so did the wind, which roared in the trees and 

 successfully rendered other sounds indistinct or inaudible. 

 That hounds had divided Lavvy knew, but she stuck to the 

 main body and never heard Bill Sheppard's holloa away on 

 the opposite side of the wood. Six couples of hounds came 

 away, taking up the line at a pace which showed that outside 

 the wood scent was better. Bill holloaed again, listened, 

 could hear nothing of the huntsman, and hesitated ; he 



