300 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



It was only when a little later the sound of hounds run- 

 ning in the distance reached them that the members of the 

 field, who were leisurely discussing their sandwiches under 

 the impression that the morning's programme was about to 

 be repeated, were galvanised into life. 



" There's mostly a fox lies in them roots, sir," the tenant 

 of a small holding, sitting on a gate, remarked to Lavvy as 

 she passed. ** There ain't no one been near 'em to-day," he 

 added as the girl pulled up and hesitated. For a wonder 

 that fox was there, and Lavvy's cheer and the notes of her 

 horn reached Jack Morgan and her aunt. It is to be feared 

 the former forgot his companion, as he made a bee-line for 

 the flying pack ; but Miss Badsworth was, as usual, well 

 mounted, and, having profited by experience, went in a 

 manner which would have surprised the Duchess had she 

 been present. 



" Thank goodness there is plenty of room," Lavvy thought, 

 for though hounds ran well for a quarter of an hour, after 

 that time they were repeatedly brought to their noses. It 

 was clear that scent was bad, and on the arable land it well- 

 nigh failed altogether. 



Joe Summers' speech at the puppy show occurred to Lavvy : 

 " The farther you go the farther you gets left," and on the 

 other hand was Peter Beckford's advice to leave your hounds 

 alone as long as they could own a scent at all. 



In the meantime reinforcements straggled up eager to get 

 on each time the pack raised their hopes by running briskly 

 for a couple of fields. 



Miss Badsworth had her work cut out, but she asserted 

 her authority, and forcibly rebuked a certain dealer from Mul- 

 chester who was clearly anxious to sell a horse to Miss Lavvy 

 from the way in which he exhibited unnecessary equestrian 

 feats in the immediate proximity of the hounds. 



A distant holloa forward just as Lavvy had got her second 

 horse helped matters for a time, and hounds chumped along for 

 twenty minutes on better terms ; but eventually there was a 

 relapse to slow hunting and much work for the huntsman. 



