284 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



" Mebbe," he replied. " There'll be more where this here 

 come from ; but my father always said " (Alf was too cautious 

 to take responsibility where it could be avoided) " that a 

 frost and snow early in November meant a mild time till 

 after the days lengthened ; and I judge he was right, mum." 



As Miss Badsworth walked on she was feign to confess 

 that, after all, these people, though prejudiced, used their 

 reasoning powers more than she had been led to expect be- 

 fore she became acquainted with them ; she had learnt to 

 observe their methods of life and respect their independence, 

 which was closely akin to pride, and she had come to the 

 conclusion that they were far better fitted for the stations 

 they occupied than those who, having been raised by artificial 

 means, and told that they were ill-used and down-trodden, 

 were left to sit like fledgelings on the edge of their nest with 

 no parent birds to feed them. It may be for this reason 

 Mrs. Dickinson's frequent appeals to Miss Badsworth for 

 support fell upon ears which now analysed the sounds, in- 

 stead of taking them as gospel. 



In the meantime Miss Lavvy, with numbed fingers and 

 toes, was exercising hounds upon the road. The snow was 

 crisp and did not ball, and hounds travelled fairly well, 

 looking odd and dirty against the white background. 



" This is the worst part of the whole business," Lavvy 

 thought. " If it goes on I shall send the men out alone. 

 Joe Summers is right — ' it ain't a job to hanker after '." 

 There is a drawback in most things, and in Lavvy's case 

 the uncertainty of what would happen in the future, and the 

 fear that all her work and self-sacrifice would go for nothing, 

 were alwa3's behind her in the character of black care. 



She was just wondering which of many specifics would be 

 the best for chilblains, when a man cutting hay from a rick 

 a field away shouted to another approaching with a waggon. 



Ned pointed with his whip and turned in his saddle to 

 say " There's a fox coming across the ground, ma'am ". It 

 was by way of caution that all hands might be prepared. 



He was surprised by the query : — 



