CHAPTER XXXIV. 



A SHARP frost, a cold wind and an inch of snow set the 

 meteorologists to work to amend their forecasts ; they had 

 fortunately appended '' unsettled " to their prognostication of 

 mild, foggy weather, and now from back attic, or such places 

 in which they lie low, came the voices of prophets who fore- 

 told the hardest winter of the century with a boldness which 

 might have encouraged the unwary to believe that they had 

 something to do with the arrangements. 



The white landscape and the black branches of the leafless 

 trees caused Miss Badsworth to wonder whether there were 

 any of her poorer neighbours who were short of fuel and 

 blankets. Those who belonged to the coal club would be 

 supplied ; but there were others, so Miss Badsworth, who 

 had become vastly practical in the last few months, sallied 

 forth in snow-boots to see for herself. 



So it was that, just beyond the church, she encountered 

 Alf Diccox with his terriers and a bag over his shoulder, 

 which was every now and then disturbed by convulsive 

 movements which indicated that ferrets were within en- 

 deavouring to make themselves comfortable under adverse 

 conditions. 



*' Wintry, mum ! " he said, as he touched his hat. " I 

 was just goin' to step up to the house to ask if the young- 

 lady would lend me her little dog ; he's a wonder with rats, 

 that dog is." 



" I'm afraid we are in for a spell of very cold weather, 

 Diccox," Miss Badsworth said. 



Alf looked up at the dull, leaden sky as though he had 

 not observed it before that day. 



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