252 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



selves keenly and encouraged them once or twice, and 

 scarcely had Ned Barlow done more than reach the sum- 

 mit^ when there came the sound of a distant holloa, lusty 

 but not professional, and quickly it was repeated. 



*' A holloa away, forrard, ma'am," Ned shouted. 



Lavvy's horn was out and at her lips in a trice, whilst Ned 

 on the high ground cracked his whip and gave vent to '* Gar 

 away on ! Hark, holloa, hark ! " 



All was bustle, part of the pack got to their huntsman as 

 she galloped down the ride, whilst the rest made the best of 

 their way towards the holloa, which was repeated several 

 times. 



" Hounds, please ! Hounds!" Lavvy cried as at length 

 she reached the end of the covert and found a boggy gap full 

 of blundering horses and timid riders. There was a rail on 

 the bank to one side of the crowd ; the rail was low but the 

 bank was high, hence the struggle for the easy place ; to 

 Lavvy and the Banker it was a vision of home; the take 

 off was boggy, but fortunately the rail was rotten and its 

 splinters spread devastation amongst the crowd as the horse 

 landed on the sound ground beyond followed by a cataract of 

 hounds. 



" My goodness ! Who would believe that was a girl! " 

 Major Creswell exclaimed, regaining his saddle after a doubt- 

 ful moment owing to a desperate plunge of his horse. 



It was not until Lavvy had risen the hill that she could 

 form any idea of what was taking place. Then she saw, 

 two fields away, eight couples of hounds strung out more 

 than was their wont, and several red and black coats in 

 attendance. Ned Barlow was doing his best wide on her 

 right. 



Now, it was fortunate (for Charles Badsworth would 

 have nothing to do with anything that had not plenty of 

 blood) that the Banker's pedigree had but one slight stain 

 in it, and that consequently his turn of speed was of the 

 best, for as usual a stern chase is a long one ; he quickly 

 dropped Ned Barlow, and drew up to those who had the 



