192 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



the good of the house ; and think also of all the cherry 

 brandies at 6f/. a glass I've drunk — and that reminds me, I 

 don't believe you are licensed to be drunk on your premises, 

 are you '? So I've done all I could in that way. Also the 

 things I've given you. I enclose list of everything I can 

 think of, but am sure there are more which perhaps you will 

 recollect. I always loved you, but there was the gulf of trade 

 between us, and I could not marry you. You must see this 

 yourself, i.e. that you couldn't marry a county family {sic). 

 As to the letter I wrote, I meant if ever I married, I'd have 

 the wedding-breakfast at your shop. But in conclusion, I 

 might marry you some day or other (who knows ?) that is, if 

 you don't put the matter into a beastly lawyer's hands, because 

 they are interfering people, who I don't like. 



" Yours as ever, 



"A. T. BiNKIE." 



And the reply to this somewhat injudicious letter was 

 contained in a black bag, carried by a seedy-looking, middle- 

 aged man, who called at The Chase two days later, and asked 

 for Mr. Binkie Junior, On the appearance of that gentleman, 

 the middle-aged man politely asked him for his name, and on 

 receiving an answer, presented him with a paper bearing the 

 printed heading of 'Victoria, by the Grace,' etc., and setting 

 forth that this was the writ in an action of 'Turiiover v. 

 Binkie' for damages (which were modestly laid at £5,000) for 

 breach of a promise to marry. 



" Oh, really ! " murmured Binkie in plaintive tones, and 

 almost dissolving into tears as he stood helplessly in the hall, 

 the writ fluttering about in his hands. The middle-aged 



