The Leather Plater. 309 



He was also a nice weight, a very tolerable race-rider considering 

 the practice he got, and had won more than one steeple-chase in 

 our county. 



To be under the same roof with Annie Radford and not to love 

 her was an impossibility; and as the young rough-rider never 

 dreamt that there was any difference in their positions, and, more- 

 over, as he felt confident that he could always fight his way in the 

 world, and considered that what little property old Radford had saved 

 would eventually become Annie's, he did not deem it in the least 

 preposterous to aspire to her hand. It is true that she had received 

 a superior education, but at home she took the entire management 

 of the house ; and although she felt that a drawing-room was her 

 proper place, she never gave herself airs. The consequence was, that 

 Frank soon fell desperately in love with Annie ; and the worst of 

 all was, that the girl encouraged his passion, well knowing at the 

 time that she never meant to marry him, but merely to indulge 

 that passion as a passing whim. He consulted with the old father, 

 who neither favoured nor discouraged his suit, merely telling him 

 that Annie might do exactly as she pleased, for that she was quite 

 able to take care of herself and so she was, as the sequel will 

 prove. 



It was impossible for a girl to be so surpassingly beautiful as 

 Annie without knowing it herself, and the flatteries which she had 

 received from her schoolfellows, among whom she was unanimously 

 voted the belle, had influenced her mind; while a compliment 

 which had been paid her by a foolish old fellow in London, who 

 told her that "she was handsome enough to be a countess," was 

 never forgotten. From that time she had made up her mind " to 

 fly at high game;" and while she was playing fast-and-loose with 

 the poor horsebreaker, she was only biding her time and waiting 

 quietly for the fulfilment of the old gentleman's compliment ; and 

 she brought it about in this manner and as we shall only see Annie 

 on the stage once more, we may as well anticipate a little and finish 

 up with her history. 



Now, counts and lords do not usually go poking about into such 



