WILD SPORT IN BRITTANY. 133 



Shafto's sire was yet alive, a large landed-proprietor in the 

 north of England ; but, having a numerous family by a second 

 wife, he had given a willing consent to the self-imposed exile of 

 his son and heir ; with whom, owing to his devotion to the chase, 

 and refusal to adopt a learned profession, he had held little or no 

 intercourse for years, beyond paying him his regular allowance in 

 quarterly instalments. When this was exceeded a by no means 

 uncommon event and a request made for a " farther advance," 

 the vials of the old man's wrath, charged with the bitterest 

 invective, were poured unsparingly on the son's head. An old 

 college friend once told me that his father had denounced him 

 as a prodigal anticipating his inheritance, and " eating up the calf 

 while yet in the cow's belly." To which the son, not without 

 some reason, thus replied: "Father, I am the oldest heir-apparent 

 in Great Britain ; and you would have me wait till I've no teeth 

 left either for cow or calf." 



Shafto had naturally given the paternal roof a wide berth; and 

 for twenty long years, the best years of his life, had adopted the 

 Hermitage as his home, and the forests of Lower Brittany as his 

 chief hunting-ground. From his open-handed liberality, giving his 

 game wherever he killed it, keeping his wine-tap always going, 

 and his tobacco-pouch well stored and ready for every peasant's 

 pipe, he was literally adored by that class ; and thereby enabled 

 to save many and many a wolf's litter from the inevitable fate of 

 being knocked on the head, instead of getting the chance given 

 them of showing sport on a future occasion. Consequently, 

 among the Breton noblesse, not only on this ground was he 

 popular, but because he was, as they call him, " Un chasseur de 

 premiere qualite," good company, and a thorough gentleman. 



Having introduced my compatriot and his belongings thus 

 briefly to the reader, let us hark back to the party who were 

 receiving him with so cordial a welcome at the Cheval Blanc. 



"We've expected you daily for the last week," said St. Prix 



