THE SQUIRE 209 



evenings." Eagerness and animation, however, are 

 catching, particularly over wine, and we have seen 

 many a jolly, laid-on-the-shelf-sportsman, and even 

 unentered host, the one forget his years, the other 

 his ignorance, and under the benign influence of 

 wine and hilarity swear eternal attachment to the 

 sport that has formed the staple of the evening's 

 conversation. 



Then contrast the early activity of the hunting 

 morning with the sluggish inertness of the mere 

 " house full of company," with nothing to do. 

 Gaitered Grooms, and abortions of lads, not abor- 

 tions in buttons, but abortions in boots, will be seen 

 hurrying about getting ready for the start, while 

 breakfast, instead of being forced as far into the 

 morning as possible, so as to take a good cut out of 

 the day, will be rung for at the very moment it is 

 ordered, and woe betide the cook if it is not ready. 

 How lively the red coats make the table look, and 

 how each man's eye beams with pleasure as entering 

 the breakfast-room he casts his eye on the assembled 

 party. The very servants seem to partake of the 

 general enthusiasm, and bustle about with unusual 

 activity. 



Suppose the meet takes place in the park, then 

 breakfast is laid for the " million." 



" Show meets," as they are called, are not generally 

 popular with sportsmen, and perhaps deservedly not, 

 but the ladies like them, and they tend to keep up 

 the spirit of hunting. After all is said and done, 

 they are harmless things ; a quarter of an hour 

 consumed in liquoring the men and parading the 

 hounds, and another quarter in running the latter 

 through the evergreens, under pretence of drawing 

 for a fox, is all the mischief they do, and the man 

 who does not like " make believes " has nothing to 

 do but come half an hour late. 



Hunt breakfasts are capable of complimentary 

 14 



