new you so humble before."

"I am not joking at all. She is a daughter of old Furnival's, whom
by-the-by I hate as I do poison. Why my governor has him down at
Noningsby I can't guess. But I tell you what, old fellow, he can give
his daughter five-and-twenty thousand pounds. Think of that, Master
Brook." But Felix Graham was a man who could not bring himself to
think much of such things on the spur of the moment, and when he was
introduced to Sophia, he did not seem to be taken with her in any
wonderful way.

Augustus had asked his mother to help him, but she had laughed at
him. "It would be a splendid arrangement," he had said with energy.
"Nonsense, Gus," she had answered. "You should always let those
things take their chance. All I will ask of you is that you don't
fall in love with her yourself; I don't think her family would be
nice enough for you."

But Felix Graham certainly was ungrateful for the friendship spent
upon him, and so his friend felt it. Augustus had contrived to
whisper into the lady's ear that Mr. Graham was the cleverest young
man now rising at the bar, and as far as she was concerned, some
amount of intimacy might at any rate have been produced; but he,
Graham himself, would not put himself forward. "I will pique him into
it," said Augustus to himself, and therefore when on this occasion
they came into the drawing-room, Staveley immediately took a vacant
seat beside Miss Furnival, with the very friendly object which he had
proposed to himself.

There was great danger in this, for Miss Furnival was certainly
handsome, and Augustus Staveley was very susceptible. But what will
not a man go through for his friend? "I hope we are to have the
honour of your company as far as Monkton Grange the day we meet
there," he said. The hounds were to meet at Monkton Grange, some
seven miles from Noningsby, and all the sportsmen from the house were
to be there.

"I shall be delighted," said Sophia, "that is to say if a seat in the
carriage can be spared for me."

"But we'll mount you. I know that you are a horsewoman." In answer to
which Miss Furnival confessed that she was a horsewoman, and owned
also to having brought a habit and hat with her.

"That will be delightful. Madeline will ride also, and you will meet
the Miss Tristrams. They are the famous horsewomen of this part of
the country."

"You don't mean that they go after the dogs, across the hedges."

"Indeed they do."

"And does Miss Stave