1883] A GOOD STOEY. 89 



meet us ; but where was the flag ? You won't guess 

 what it was, so I may as well tell you at once. It 

 was a large funeral. There was the hearse, with the 

 undertaker's men holding on to the horses' heads, 

 and a whole string of mourning coaches, the occupants of 

 which had all got out, and were watching with the keenest 

 interest the proceedings of the pack. They had all seen 

 the fox, and the man with the flag was the head under- 

 taker ; the flag was no flag at all, but the weepers on his 

 hat, which, as he waved it to attract our attention, gave 

 him the appearance of waving a flag. All was excitement. 

 The undertaker said : ' Here he went. Colonel ; I saw him 

 there, by the corner of the wall, not three minutes ago ! 

 Wonderful big fox, too ; and as black as my 'at. Lor', 

 we've been watching you ever so long. I see him coming 

 along almost all the way.' 'That's it; now they're on 

 him ! ' shouted the mourners in chorus as the hounds spoke 

 to the line, and in a few moments we were racing away 

 again, and the cortege was again wending its way to the 

 churchyard." 



The word " corpse," before mentioned, reminds us of 

 another anecdote. Two elderly scions of the aristocracy, 

 who were noted for their taciturnity, were travelling 

 together in Spain. They arrived late one evening at an 

 inn where there was only one bed-chamber to be had. On 

 taking possession of it they discovered that there were three 

 beds, two untenanted, and the other contained a corjDse. 

 Neither brother exchanged a syllable on the matter, but it 

 had evidently made an impression on their minds, for half 

 way through the following day, having left the inn many 

 miles behind them, the elder broke the habitual silence by 

 the remark : " Did you see it ? " To which the other 

 rejoined, " Ya'as," and nothing further then, or at any 

 other time, passed on the subject. 



January l\th, 1883, Compton Verney. — Found in Bishop's Gorso, and 

 chopped the fox. Drew Dry Close Coppice, Pool Fields Osiers, Chadshunt 

 Coppice, Itchington Holt, Bawcutt's Covert, Gaydon Coppice, Chesterton 

 -.Wood, and Bowshot blank. 



January 12th, Badway Grange. — Drew blank Kim^ton Holt, Watt's 



