24 TALES OF PINK AND SILK. 



what sport we should have, Tony ! Gives £250 a year to the 

 hounds, and never leaves the road, not even getting far enough 

 along a road to head a fox, and goes home at three o'clock. 

 Make much of Styles, Tony ; men like him want encouraging. 

 But his daughters, Tony ! Oh dear ! Why a peaceable man 

 like Styles should get such fiends in female shape, I can't say. 

 They've lamed four hounds between them this season already ; 

 I've lost half a score of foxes through them pressing hounds ; 

 and they nearly killed Ben the day before yesterday by 

 jumping on him when he fell. Lure them to some quiet spot, 

 Tony, murder them and bury them secretly. But cultivate 

 ' Le pere,' Tony ; his cheque is most useful." 



So to Mr. William Styles comes Mr. Anthony Toynbee, 

 the solicitor, and keeps the soft soap business going till 

 hounds have found their fox ; then off he slips to get as good 

 a start as possible on that safe conveyance of his, the rat- 

 tailed bay. 



"Good morning, Mr. Maunsell," sa3^s a voice at that 

 gentleman's side. " As j^ou won't come to speak to me, I've 

 come to speak to you. I'm surprised at your forgetting your 

 old friends like this." 



'^ Oh ! Good morning, Miss Enid. Awfully sorry, I'm 

 sure. Passed you on the road, you know, but didn't see you 

 at the meet." 



"Have you taken the same house this year, Mr. Maunsell?" 

 asked Miss Enid. 



" Yes ; Frank and I have gone to the Hollies again ; it 

 suits us very well. Any news. Miss Enid ? It's such a long 

 time since I was here last." 



" Nothing particular, I think. You've heard of Mabel 

 Turton's love affair, of course. No ? Well, I must not say a 

 word then, of course." 



" What is it ? " 



" Oh ! carried on in the most shameful way with Captain 



