THE EIGHTH DUKE 



we met the hounds, with the late Duke, the present 

 Duke, and Lord Colville, and, of course, a lot of 

 other sportsmen. I had the stag across a pony on 

 the turnpike road when they met me. They ad- 

 mitted they had not seen or heard anything of the 

 stag for as much as two hours and a half. At the 

 time I saw him he was evidently making his way 

 to the river Severn, and they were also making 

 for the river, thinking the stag would swim it and 

 get into the Forest of Dean. Naturally I got 

 most terribly chaffed over the business, and went 

 by the name of ' Tom Valentine ' for a long time 

 afterwards." 



The transgressor, however, belonged to a sport- 

 ing family, and having all the instincts of a sports- 

 man he was greatly concerned at the misadventure. 

 He consequently addressed letters of apology to 

 Lord Colville and the Duke, both of which were 

 graciously received. Lord Colville wrote that he 

 was convinced the stag had been shot by mistake, 

 and that if he should be Master of the Buckhounds 

 the following season, he hoped he might have 

 another opportunity of bringing them into the 

 young sportsman's neighbourhood. The Duke, in 

 his usual kindly way, wrote as follows : — 



** Dear Sir, — 



" I am very much obliged to you for your 

 letter. A misfortune it certainly was that the stag 

 was killed ; but I am quite convinced that it was 



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