MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 243 



he went so far as to imagine that there was a subtle some- 

 thing about this war-stained garment which conveyed the 

 idea of personaHty, the personaHty of the one girl as far as 

 he was concerned. 



In itself it may be doubted whether this idea, taken in the 

 abstract, was a compliment to Miss Lavvy. A coat in which 

 a huntsman has done work, and even temporarily stowed in 

 its pockets a draggled fox's brushy or a pad or two, differs 

 from the tiny lace handkerchief with its memory of scent ; 

 a glove ; a bow of ribbon ; a broken fan ; but yet to the good 

 man and true it matters not, one and all have their associa- 

 tions, dead and gone perhaps, but still marked in memory, 

 starting points of future efforts, labelled success or failure 

 as the case may be, and yet possessing something which 

 makes them dear whatever may have happened since. 



*' Your breakfast's waiting, sir," said a voice at the door. 



" Right," was the reply, but Jack Morgan carefully folded 

 that red coat and laid it smooth and flat at the bottom of 

 a drawer, turning the key in the lock and placing it on 

 his dressing table, where, of course, he forgot it, and his 

 servant finding it, inspected the drawer which it fitted, and 

 smiled. What matter ? Jack took the influence out with 

 him, which made the day seem brighter than his own new 

 coat. 



Charles Badsworth, as a practical man, finished his break- 

 fast and folded his napkin in accordance with his invariable 

 practice before he made any remarks beyond his forecast of 

 the weather. He was perfectly aware that his sister was 

 turned out in the most approved style, that her hair, here 

 and there streaked with grey, was plaited in a thick coil low 

 down on her neck, and was surmounted by a silk hat which 

 became the wearer well ; he had noted the hunt buttons on 

 both coat and waistcoat, the neat scarf and bunch of violets ; 

 he was unable to find any fault in his daughter's costume, 

 complete in all details as it was, a facsimile of the portrait 

 of her uncle opposite which she sat. He must, however, 

 have been thinking his own thoughts, and according to his 



16 * 



