MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 299 



Still Lavvy persevered, in the hope that her fox would be 

 compelled to try the opposite end of the wood, but he was 

 of an obstinate disposition and for the third time tried to 

 make his original point. For the third time Lavvy quickly 

 got her hounds away ; it was a close, muggy morning, the 

 rides were deep and holding, so that the chestnut horse she 

 rode was lathering freely under his breastplate. 



A chorus of yells went up once more from the blocked 

 road, and young Sorter was standing up in his miotor waving 

 his hat and looking, in his goggles, like a diver who had sud- 

 denly become a lunatic. 



" He's gone back again ! " he shouted as Lavvy reached a 

 gate close by. 



She was ruffled ; to get away appeared quite hopeless, and 

 as yet she cared nothing for '* masks on the kennel door". 

 " He's as likely as not a good fox," she thought; " it would 

 be a pity to bring him to his end by sheer mobbing." 



" We saw him go back !" Sorter cried, and at the same 

 time many hands pointed in various directions. 



" Hold your noise, please/' Lavvy cried generally. " You 

 are enough to frighten anything," to Sorter in particular. 

 " Hounds, please." 



She opened a gate on the opposite side of the road and 

 cantered across a field with the hounds, closely followed by 

 Ned and Bill Sheppard. 



Sorter put his hands to his mouth and shouted : — 



" He's gone back !" 



*' How I should like to swear," thought Lavvy, taking no 

 notice of the shout. " There is no road within half a mile 

 of Clip Gorse, thank goodness ! " 



Miss Badsworth and Jack Morgan mict Alf Diccox, who 

 promptly pointed with his stick as he said : — 



" I think the young lady's gone across to Clip." 



Jack bethought him of a line of gates and said to his com- 

 panion : " I expect she is disgusted with all that hard work 

 for nothing and is gone to shake off the crowd. We had 

 better get on." 



