THE BALLYHILLY STEEPLECHASE 155 



last, at least, for the ride. The picture would not be 

 complete were we to omit the blue bird's-eye stock, 

 fastened jauntily round his neck with a silver horse- 

 shoe brooch, the property of his " better half," which 

 rivalled in size the shoe of a Shetland pony; and the 

 white beaver which, in spite of its heavy ballast of 

 brown paper around the inner band, still lurched heavily 

 to port, but was moored securely aft by a half-inch 

 black-tape hawser, which his loving spouse had salved 

 from the border of an old abandoned petticoat. As 

 Denis made his way through the village he was hailed 

 with lusty cheers from the admiring inhabitants ; 

 knots of strangers already congregated in view of the 

 sport, and a troop of ragged-tailed urchins formed a 

 guard of honour until he reached the Hall gates, where 

 they remained, straining their eyes through the iron 

 bars, expectantly awaiting his return. The juvenile 

 admirers were not kept long in suspense before they saw 

 the white beaver bobbing up and down above the 

 clumps of rhododendron-bushes bordering the drive 

 which led to the stables, and a few minutes later old Kitty 

 came see-sawing, crab-fashion, down the springy turf of 

 the avenue, and trying her hardest to get rid of her 

 gallant rider by brushing him against the trunks of the 

 elm- trees. After much ducking and pulling out, during 

 which the beaver came in for more than a fair share of 

 rough usage, Denis at length got the fifteen-year-old 

 skittish chaser into the open. Then, loosening his tongue, 

 he showered "blessings" on the head of the unruly mount. 



