154 HOUND AND HORN 



square," said Joanna, raising her voice and throwing 

 it over Billy's head. 



'' I think Vd as lief have old Geordie for a fisher- 

 man as any one else," Flo continued. '^ Now tell us 

 your little ambition, Mr. Kerr, though I have a fair 

 surmise of the direction in which it lies," she added, 

 little dreaming how near the mark she had hit. 



*' Don't give me away, dear lady," Billy had 

 whispered, on seeing a mischievous sparkle in the 

 eyes of the Mistress of the Forest fox-hounds. 



In a mood of confidence he had recently confided 

 to that trustworthy person that his ambition was 

 to win the girl he loved best, and added with a 

 heartrending sigh, '* and to prove worthy of her " ; 

 a declaration which caused his hearer to howl with 

 laughter. 



'^ Seriously, I'd like to have a mount in the Grand 

 National ; best of all to ride the winner ; but of 

 course that is beyond my loftiest dreams ; so I'd 

 be content to get the course and nearly win on an 

 outside chance. I'd really like to be one of that 

 band of brave gallant men who set their face to 

 ride out over these big fences at that terrific pace, 

 and never grumble if they are knocked out, and the 

 greatest ambition of their life denied them." 



To which speech we all replied with one voice and 

 equal fervour that we hoped he might have the chance 

 some day. 



Joanna took an early opportunity in private to tell 

 me that Miss Flo, then several years younger and 

 a very engaging school-girl, had confessed to her 

 that she had no desire or intention to marry till 

 she had had a real good time; that her ambition 



