THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUXT. ii 



from Scrapton covert, thereby ' caging ' the field in most 

 effective style ; whilst Gmnpage's wife actually hmig out the 

 washing on the timber guarding the only jumpable place, for 

 half-a-mile, in the Swirhngford Brook. Eemonstrance in 

 either case had proved absolutely futile, until the Duke, as the 

 final Court of Appeal, had taken the matter in hand, and had 

 one day astonished good Mrs. Gumpage by cantering up on his 

 way home from hunting, surprising her in the very act of 

 hanging out the offending clothes. The good lady actually 

 gasped for breath as the Duke removed his hat and made her 

 a sweeping bow from his saddle. 



"Good-day, my dear Mrs. Gumpage, good-day. Delighted 

 to see you engaged in this highly healthful occupation. My 

 huntsman, Will Eidall, tells me that you are in the habit of 

 using these rails as clothes props, just where the brook is 

 jumpable, jus — s — st at the par — tic — ular spot where it's 

 jumpable. ' But,' I said to him, ' if the clothes are in the way, 

 why not speak to Mrs. Gumpage about it ? Mrs. Gumpage,' 

 I told him, ' was a lady of whose friendship I was proud.' " 



At this juncture the good lady's red face was a study ; vulgarly 

 speaking, she did not know whether she was standing on her 

 head or on her heels, she was 'that flustered,' as she explained 

 to her ' old man ' when he came home that evening. What '? 

 had she heard aright ? — the Duke of Haughtyshire speaking 

 of her as a lady of whose friendship he was proud? She began 

 to think that that little drop of sloe gin she had taken ' just 

 to. keep the cold out' had really — but no, it was such a little 

 drop that it couldn't, surely ? 



And then the silvery voice went on, " And that I was 

 quite sure that if the matter had been properly represented — 



