80 TALES OF PINK AND SILK. 



"What the devil are you domg with my hounds, sir?" 

 roars the Master as he gallops up. " How dare you usurp 

 my position ! Who are you, sir ? " 



" I am sorry I have offended you," says Tom Beverley^ 

 " but as you were nowhere to be seen, I thought an old 

 M.F.H. might perform this little function." 



" Tom — you here ! " gasps the Master. 



" Yes. I landed yesterday. You seem surprised to see 

 me. The fact is, I came over on receipt of letters from my 

 lawyer and from Freeman, our late uncle's valet, in order 

 to attend to some most important business in connection 

 with his will." 



The Master turned deadly pale and moved away. 



" We shall not draw again to-day. Mason. You may take 

 the hounds home." And without another word he rode off. 



Many were the congratulations that Tom Beverley 

 received on his return. 



'•' You will come home with us, of course, old fellow ? " 

 said Lord Healingborough. 



" Thanks. I had already anticipated your invitation, 

 and my gladstone is at the Towers now. Finding you 

 had started this morning, I trotted off* to Rapsley ; but 

 to my surprise you were not there, and I was cogitating 

 what to do, when I heard the glad cry of hounds, and 

 lo I there was our vulpine friend just whisking round at 

 having caught sight of me." 



"Now tell us what has brought you among us in this 

 unceremonious manner this morning," says his friend, as 

 the three jog homewards. 



"Well, as you probably guessed, the Two Thousand 

 quite broke me, and when Uncle James died a week 

 later, and left all his money to my cousin Robert, I had 

 nothing for it but to bolt. My astonishment was great, 

 as I had been brought up as his heir ; and I always 



