202 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



who, curiously enough, somewhat resembles your beautiful 

 daughter." 



A married man ! Poor Mrs, Binkie's hopes were crushed 

 again to the earth. A moment before, and she had been 

 apostrophising the fickle goddess in most humble though 

 expectant terms. Now she would have liked to have taken the 

 hussy by the shoulders and given her a good shaking. It 

 was not until the close of that evening that she properly 

 recovered herself, and then, under cover of a brilliant 

 performance on the piano by the Indian Prince — a perfect 

 musician — she drew Ronald a little on one side, and in low 

 tones said to him — 



"Now, Mr. Dennison, I think things ought to be put 

 straight between us. I don't like going on in what I call a 

 hugger-mugger way. You haven't got the money to keep 

 Penelly as a wife ought to be kept. Well, we — me and Sep 

 — have, and as I like you I've a mind to see if we can't do 

 something for you. But look here — you're to appear as 

 Counsel for my boy in this breach of promise case. Now, 

 you must get him oft', do you see ? " 



" Of course I'll do my best for him, Mrs. Binkie, you may 

 depend upon that ; but as to persuading the jury to give a 

 verdict for the defendant, that's another matter. You see, in 

 all these cases of breach of promise the juries' sympathies 

 invariably seem to lie with the fair plaintiff." 



Mrs. Binkie looked vexed. Then she went on — 



" It ain't for the money. We'd pay that — if it wasn't too 

 much ; of course this five thousand claim's quite out of 

 the question — but I don't want a verdict given against us. 

 You see ? " 



