yours, Lucy."

My father's first wife had been the last of the Jerfields, and I asked
eager questions. Lady Diana believed that "those unhappy young men"
had made away with all their mother's jewels, but she could tell no
more, as our catastrophe had taken place while she was living at Killy
Marey. Her brother, she said, could tell us more; and so he did,
enough to set Eustace on fire.

Yes, the belt had been well known. It was not taken in the Armada, but
in a galleon of the Peruvian plunder by an old Jerfield, who had been
one of the race of Westward Ho! heroes. The Jerfields had not been
prosperous, and curious family jewels had been nearly all the portion
of the lady who had married my father. The sons had claimed them, and
they were divided between them, and given to the two wives; and in the
time of distress, when far too proud to accept aid from the father, as
well as rather pleased at mortifying him by disposing of his family
treasures, Alice and Dorothy Alison had gradually sold them off. And,
once in the hands of local jewellers, it was easy for the belt to pass
into becoming the prize held by the winner in the Archery Club every
year. Lord Erymanth would go with Eustace the next morning to identify
it; but what would be the use of that? Eustace at first fancied he
could claim it, but soon he saw that his proposal was viewed as so
foolish that he devoured it, and talked of giving an equivalent; but,
as Lord Erymanth observed, it would be very difficult to arrange this
with an article of family and antiquarian value, in the hands of an
archery club--an impersonal body.

"The thing would be to win it," said Viola. "Could not some of us?"

"Well done, little Miss Tell," returned Dermot. "Hippo has won that
same belt these four years, to my certain knowledge, except once, when
Laurie Stympson scored two more."

"I'll practise every day; won't you, Lucy? And then, between us, there
will be two chances."

"I am sure I am very much nattered by Miss Tracy's kindness," put in
Eustace; "but is the match solely between ladies?"

No, for the last two years, after a match between ladies and between
gentlemen, there had a final one taken place between the two winners,
male and female, in which Hippo had hitherto always carried off the
glory and the belt. So Eustace intimated his full intention of trying
for himself, endeavouring to be very polite to Viola and me, but
implying that he thought himself a fa