THE REV. JOHN RUSSELL. 13 



The feeling, too, that he was snatching a 

 stolen pleasure might have enhanced 



" . . . that theft of sweet deHght " 



a hundredfold ; but dark clouds were now loom- 

 ing in the horizon, portending a short season 

 and disastrous end to this enjoyable life. A 

 shaft from some hidden enemy (and well for 

 him was it that his name was never discovered) 

 did the mischief. Some one, purporting to be 

 "a friend to good discipline," wrote to Dr. 

 Richards, and communicated the astounding 

 intelligence that a cry of hounds w^ere kept by 

 his scholars, Bovey and Russell, and that the 

 latter, if he was not sole manager, acted at least 

 as huntsman to the pack. 



*' Ringleader, in fact, of the hunting gang," 

 exclaimed Richards, indignantly, as an expression 

 of grave import darkened his whole countenance. 

 "What! set my discipline at nought, and bring 

 discredit on the honoured name of Blundell?" 



He sent for Bovey, and expelled him on the 

 spot. Russell came next, little doubting that he 

 should share a similar fate ; as, like a mouse 

 tortured by a cat, he underwent a preliminary 

 examination before the fatal blow fell. 



"You keep hounds, don't you?" demanded 

 the autocrat, in a stern and pitiless tone. 



"No, sir." 



" Do you dare to tell me a lie ? Bovey 

 has just told me you do keep them," said 



