ii8 



THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



as a convenient pied a terre. Close behind these came, also 

 from the hotel, a party of four, three of whom were regular 

 followers of the Haughtyshire Hounds, who had had a little 

 dinner there, before tackling the real business of the evening. 

 The fourth, who had been their guest, was a distinguished 

 foreigner. Monsieur le Baron Stepitoff, of uncertain nationality 

 — some said Russian, others Pole ; nobody really knew. 



"What is he? " asked Charley Thruster of our friend, the 

 Hon. Archv Crocker, the former owner of Marmion. 



"Don't know exactly. Russian, or Scandinavian, or Pole; 

 something or other from the North." 



"North Pole, perhaps ? " queried Charley, as they passed 

 on together into the dance-room, where the musicians were 

 already tuning up. 



The next to arrive on the gay scene were the Binkies and 

 their house-party. Penelope was looking her loveliest — and 

 Penelope's loveliest was very lovely indeed — her wavy hair 

 parted low down upon the forehead, her sweet blue eyes, fringed 

 with their long dark lashes, her slight, willowy figure, set off 

 to perfection by the plain white dress she wore, the very poise 

 of her head, all were as eminently calculated to attract mas- 

 culine attention as to excite feminine disapproval. Monsieur 

 le Baron at once singled her out, as she entered the room, 

 and straightway appealed to his dinner host for an intro- 

 duction. 



Mrs. Binkie was somewhat astonishingly 'got up.' In the 

 brightest of violet satin dresses, slashed with white, nodding 

 feathers on her head, and diamonds affixed to every part of 

 her person where diamonds could possibly be placed, she formed 

 so extraordinary a contrast to Penelope, that it was hard indeed 



