304 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



away from the grey carcase of a badger, which declined to 

 be broken up ; he had died gamely, as one or two hounds 

 proved. 



*' Will you lead those horses away to the gate ? " Lavvy 

 called to the cow-man. " How many are there here, Ned ? " 



*' We can tell better in the ride, mum," he replied, hold- 

 ing up the lantern. " He'll make the cow-man a weskit," 

 he added, picking up the badger. 



A short and long note on the horn, repeated three times, 

 conveyed to Edwards and Bill Sheppard that Lavvy was 

 going away, and a quarter of an hour later the homeward 

 journey was resumed. 



** All's well that ends well," Jimmy Edwards said. " That 

 cow-man will tell the story so that it will be remembered for 

 generations and the waistcoat shown as evidence." 



" All I know is that making history can be hard work at 

 times," Lavvy replied. 



By the time Jimmy Edwards insisted on a halt at Tod's 

 Farm, ''that the men might have a glass of ale," he had 

 proved that the accident which had caused so much delay 

 was not without parallel. Lavvy always recollected that 

 after ten hours in the saddle Mrs. Edwards' home-made sloe 

 gin was a welcome pick-me-up. 



The butler at Cranston informed Miss Badsworth that 

 " Miss Lavinia would take her dinner upstairs, as she was 

 going to bed ". 



