186 THE MASTER OF THE HOUNDS. 



CHAPTER XX. 



"We must now cross tlie Channel to see what was occurring in 

 the vicinity of Bampton. Thomas Carter, Lord Mervyn's foot- 

 man, feeling uncomfortable in his situation as a suspected man, 

 gave notice to leave ; and Mark Hosier having mentioned this to 

 Lord Malcolm, he was at once engaged by him ; Mrs. Gordon 

 willingly agreeing to receive him at the Priory until Malcolm's 

 return to Scotland. 



Lord Mervyn had invited as large a party of the neighbour- 

 ing gentry as he could muster to a grand battue at the close of 

 the shooting season, in which hundreds of pheasants and hares 

 fell, the majority of which were packed oil to the London 

 markets. 



William Beauchamp had assumed the reins of government 

 over the pack, which was the reverse of being improved by 

 Charles's mal-administration, who had only succeeded in bring- 

 ing home the head of one fox after a fortnight's hunting, and, 

 sooth to say, Charley himself was nothing loth to fall back 

 into his old place of whipper-in. What with trying to ride or 

 scream foxes to death (notwithstanding which they could not be 

 prevailed on, like Mrs. Bond's ducks, to come to be killed), the 

 hounds' heads got up to such an alarming height that Will 

 Beauchamp found great difficulty in bringing down their high- 

 wrought expectations to their proper level again, and he experi- 

 enced almost as much trouble to reduce his field to their usual 

 good order, the majority of the youngsters having, during the 

 master's absence, considered themselves privileged to enact the 

 part of huntsmen or whippers-in whenever they could get 

 away from the old squire or Bob Conyers. If there were 

 half a dozen foxes on foot in one covert,- every one was vocife- 

 rously cheered by the party who chanced to view his particular 

 favourite across the drive, although the hounds might be 

 running another in the very opposite direction ; so pleased had 

 some of these amateur huntsmen become with the sound of 

 their own sweet voices, that the master was treated to such a 

 concert of discordant halloes in all directions on his first appear- 

 ance at the Barton Woods (where several foxes were on foot), 

 that he sat for a few seconds in amazement, wondering to what 

 extent this might lead ; then putting spurs to his horse, and 

 blowing his horn, he got the hounds together, and took them 

 away from the covert to a large field, where he drew up and 



