3o8 MISS BADSWORTH, M.F.H. 



of another drag. However the words " I am glad to hear it, 

 that is as it should be," came readily enough, though Silas 

 hardly faced the steady brown eyes as he should have done. 



*' Look out to stop them, Ned, if there is any doubt," she 

 said to the first whip just outside the first covert, and Ned 

 smiled as he touched his cap and rode away. 



It was rather curious that the girl's " Yoi, over in ! " had 

 scarcely had time to vibrate on the air before a lusty, though 

 raucous, holloa arose in the covert, but at some distance. 

 Lavvy pulled up and listened ; the holloa was repeated, but 

 she made no sign. 



Ned Barlow was galloping to the spot as hard as his horse 

 could go, when something caught his eye which made him 

 pull up as soon as he could, turn round, jump off his horse 

 and pick that something up. It was a card on which could 

 be discerned an address, with Leadenhall Market in large 

 letters. Ned slipped it into his pocket and got forward, 

 astonishing the keeper, who was mopping his face, by de- 

 scending suddenly on him with the question, " Which way 

 did he go ? " 



The keeper pointed and said, *' I got on a bit ; made sure 

 you would find about here ". 



" Ah," Ned replied, looking at the man's perspiring face, 

 " there's nothing like knowing, is there ? But they take a 

 bit of carrying." It was no drag, the card was in his pocket, 

 so he drowned all repartee by sending up one of those clear, 

 pure-toned holloas which inspire confidence in the hearer. 



The sound of Miss Lavvy's horn, evidently blown as she 

 galloped up a ride, came in reply ; and in a few minutes the 

 girl appeared with a strong contingent of hounds at her 

 horse's heels and the rest crashing through the underwood 

 hard by. 



There was a pause ; hounds feathered on a line, but it was 

 some few seconds before one spoke. Ned touched his cap 

 and handed the label to Lavvy when the keeper was out 

 of sight. 



" It's a bagman, ma'am," he said, and then got forward. 



