Year: 1871

continued his friend, "and l mus


say L think Hughes-you know


Hughes, he was with us at Oxford


and has since come into immens


mine property-a far luckier fellow


than he deserves to be. But perhap


you were not told by whoever in


troduced you that she was engaged


NO" Henley said, with blanl


astonishment, he had not been told


But was Beauchamp quite sure?


"Oh yes, my dear fellow, know


all about it. saw Hughes only las


week. He was one of the party a


the Oaks, and he asked me to com


to the wedding"


Of course this information cOult


really be nothing to Henley. Tn


only remarkable thing was that, a


he heard 1t, his face grew severa


degrees paler than its usual color


and his hand trembled perceptibl,


on his friends arm.


When Beauchamp left him hi


thoughts turned to Miss DayenpOr


and the events of the previous even


ing. There had been nothing very


remarkable about them, but he coulC


not help expressing to himself al


opinion that Miss Dayenport's man


ner scarcely suggested to him the


idea of a lady engaged to be mar


ried. With these thoughts in his


mind he determined TO go and have
a last look at the horses in theiI
stalls, TO see that all requisite care
| was being taken OF them to win
both for them and their owner, hon.
or and glory on to-morrow's run.


As he was going out of the hotel
door, there confronted him face to
face once again, Miss Davenport,
and her manner was the manner OF
the evening before, and not of the
morning. There was, Henly fam
cied, Kind of blush on her face as
she met her partner of last night;
but he was quite as sure there was
upon it very sweet smile, and as
he looked at her he felt more dis
posed to envy than to congratulate
the lucky Hughes. 1t was plain e.
nOugh now when Miss Davenport
met him in the morning she must
have failed to recognize him. Hen
ley felt half disposed to speak then
and there to Hughes tiance, and to
make some inquiries after the fortu-
nate lover. But his acquaintance,
he thought, would not justify the
| liberty; and he came TO kind of un-
| acknowledged decision with himself
| that for the future it would be wi
! ser for him not to seek to renew his
acquaintance with Miss Davenport.


The meeting happened to be close
to marlborough, and on such oc-
casions there were always numbers
! of persons who come to see the
| throw off. AS Henley rode up, he
reflected with pride on his appear
| ance. He knew that he was we'll
| mounted-as well mounted as a man
need wish to be; and there are prob
ably few pleasures more exquisite
than that which is experienced by q
sportsman who is conscious that he
! bestrides a quadruped equal to any
! emergency of the battlefield. 1t
was therefore, with no small salts
| faction that he witnessed the ewes of
the spectators turned towards him
as he made his appearances; and the
satisfaction was doubly increased
when he thought he could descry
the figure of Miss Davenport, noun
ted on the neatest of ladies' hacks
As he approached nearer, Miss Da-
yenport, for she it was, turned her
IOullG, anu dS llG SdlllC
close and recognized her, he ventur-
ed to salute her with bow and a
"good morning" But Miss Daven-
port remained, as he fanced quite
passive, or only inclined her head a
very little, in manner emblematic of
frigidity. What could he have done
to offend her? lie almost wished to
ask for all explanation on the spot.
He was puzzled, he was angry, he
was hurt. 1t was a line of conduct
that he could not understand Here
was q young lady with whoIa he
had danced three or four times, who
had talked to him without the least
reserve, and who subsequently took
it into her head at one moment to
meet him as a friend and at another
as almost an entire stranger, just as
the humOr. prompted her. The
whole thing was unintelligible.-
While he was thinking over all this
he was suddenly reused by the IA
scent of a fox. He prepared TO join
the main body of the horsemen, and
as he was cantering up TO the copse
in which they were, voice he knew
said:


"A pleasant run to you, Mr.. Hen
lev"


He looked round and saw once a
gain Miss Davenport, with the sweet
look upon her face that had attract
ed him so much two evenings ago.


The day was decidedly successful.
As there is no necessity to give the
reader 4 detailed account of a IA
nous run with the marlborough
hounds, the line of country taken
by the fox need not here be describ-
ed. As the November twilight was
coming on, Henley rope up to his
hotel i'll an excellent humOr with his
horse, which had acquitted itself
most creditably in the eyes of Rat
tlebOrOugh hunters; but angry with
himself for being so much annoyed
-pained, perhaps, would be the bet
ter word with Miss Davenport
He could disguise the fact no longer;
he loved her. He had loved her from
the very first, and she had treated
him in this unaccountable mannerl
But he was prevented from cOntiR-
uing these reflections, by letter
which was put into his hands. 1t
was from his sister, and he had half
expected it for some days past. 1t
merely told him that his father,
whose health had for a long time
been bad, and who was then staying
in the south of France, had sudden
ly become worse, and was particu-
larly anxious TO see his son. Would
Lionel come at once?


Yes he would start directly--neXt
evening. But there was one thing
he would do first. He would seek
an interview with Miss Davenport.
He would see if he could not meet
her in the street, and would endeav-
or to gain from her some explana-
ton.


On the following morning Henley
wandered about the town, but not a
glimpse could he get of his partner
at the ball. Up and down the streets
he went, gazing into the dim recesses
of linen drapers and milliners' shops,
and other similar resorts, which il
seemed to him probable that the
young lady might affect, but still
there was no Miss Davenport to be
seen. Half way up the high street
at marlborough there was 8. mar
row turning, which led to what was
generally called the Marlborough
Lawn, where the Marlborough
band was in the habit of occasional
ly exercising its musical powers,
and where the less select of the Rat
tleborOugh young ladies were wont,
in the summer, 10 erect their crO-
quet hoops, and to pursue the mimic
warfare of the mallet. 1t was half
unconciously that Henley just now
took this path. He was thinking
what was to be done, how he was to
see Miss DavenpOrt-for he had
quite determined not to leave the
place without seeing her-when an
abrupt turn in the avenue brought