AND A BELLE. 139 



IS tbe hounds draw my coverts to-morrow to throw off, 

 *f you'll come and breakfast with us, you'll meet some 

 old friends at Merton Hall, and two new ones, hey, 

 Mary ? And you shall see my little girl ride too. She 

 can take a rasper in her stride with the best of them, 

 I mean her chesnut mare can.' Will you come, 

 Colonel?" 



He looked at Mary's eyes, and Mary's eyes said, 

 yes. So he said "yes" too, on the strength of it; 

 shook hands with the old admiral, and on the strength 

 of that shook hands with Mary too. And so the ball 

 ended. 



