Visitors at Limber 



been his greatest friend at Harrow, whilst his younger brother, 

 Jack, made our acquaintance at his brother's desire, and arrived 

 at the Open House at Limber as a matter of course. The two 

 Goldneys, if not such enthusiastic sportsmen as my brothers, 

 or as the majority of Maunsell's particular friends, proved 

 themselves delightful additions to our family party. I am 

 glad to say they are both living, and if, as I hope, they will 

 read this book, I salute them in these pages, and claim them 

 as friends of past years. 



Perhaps " Sir Jack " will recall to mind a lovely summer's 

 day when the riding party from Limber were winding their 

 way through the Brocklesby Woods, two of them, Sir Jack 

 and I, with shining faces. We certainly did not possess much 

 personal vanity in those days — neither he nor I. There had 

 been a plague of flies, especially tormenting when, as was 

 frequently the case in the summer, we rode in the Brocklesby 

 Woods, for their beauty and shade. So "Sir Jack" had a 

 certain fly lotion sent down from London, with which if you 

 anointed your face no flies approached within biting range. 

 Before starting, he and I duly anointed ourselves. I did not 

 look at myself in the glass before going out, neither, I fancy, 

 did he. But when I came in and beheld the greasy apparition 

 that met me in the mirror, I did not wonder that certain 

 acquaintances we had met, and the shopkeepers in Caistor, had 

 smiled in a manner quite unusual. I had certainly noticed that 

 Sir Jack looked rather disreputable, but his appearance was 

 positively beautiful compared to mine ! 



To this delightful " Life at Limber," its enjoyments and 

 its excitements, many friends who lived around us contributed 

 largely. They would drop in at all times of the morning and 

 evening, particularly those who lived near us in the village, to 

 see what we were doing or going to do, whether riding or 



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