MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 263 



" Am I to understand that you two are entirely respon- 

 sible for what was done to-day ? " Miss Badsworth asked. 



" Well — er — yes, I suppose so ; that is, we sub — we paid 

 for the man." 



The two supplied the information alternately. 



Of course Miss Badsworth knew from Bill Hart's admis- 

 sion the true state of the case, and she admired the way in 

 which these two boys, as she called them, sought to shield 

 any one but themselves. 



" Can you tell me how much was paid ? " she asked, 

 drawing a sheet of paper and a pencil towards her. It was 

 rather a poser. 



" I should think about three quid — I mean pounds," Mur- 

 dock replied. 



" Yes, divided between two it was thirty shillings apiece," 

 Browne volunteered. 



" And cannot you find a better use for your money than in 

 causing annoyance such as this ? " Miss Badsworth asked. 

 " I thought you young men, soldiers too, would have been 

 sportsmen, and at all events would have had more chivalrous 

 feelings for women in a difficult position. I cannot suppose 

 you are ignorant of circumstances which are public property 

 in the neighbourhood, and you look old enough" (this was a 

 bad dig, though uttered so smoothly) " to understand the 

 difficulty which must often arise. Perhaps you are not 

 aware that steadiness in hounds " (here she quoted from a 

 tirade of her brother's over his luncheon) " is a most im- 

 portant factor in showing sport, and that my niece has 

 devoted her time and energies right through the summer in 

 endeavouring to reach this end." 



" We know there must be a lot of trouble, but we 

 thought " interrupted Browne. 



" Excuse me," Miss Badsworth said, breaking in in her 

 turn, " I don't think you thought at all ; you imagined that 

 with a girl to take what should be a man's place" (Oh! 

 Miss Badsworth !) "you might do what you liked and what 

 you wouldn't dare to do if a man had been in Lavinia's 



