COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 15 



too much elated by success, or too much depressed 

 by adversity, and I stuck to the line as long as you 

 would allow me. I endeavoured to hunt the country 

 fairly, good places or bad. I tried to do my duty 

 to you as well as lay in my power, sometimes under 

 very difficult circumstances, and I can only say I 

 have been treated with the greatest kindness by 

 everybody, and I have never intentionally made use 

 of a single word which could hurt the feelings of any 

 one. If, from any misunderstanding, any one has 

 ever felt hurt from any action I committed, I can only 

 say I hope they will forget and forgive as freely as I 

 do, and remember that I was often placed in circum- 

 stances of considerable provocation. Now, gentle- 

 men, there are two things very desirable for a Master 

 of Hounds to have, and I am sorry to say I was not 

 blessed with either of them : one is a comfortable 

 house handy to the kennels, and the other is a con- 

 siderable balance in the bank. Now I have not orot 



o 



a large income, and I have got a large family, and 

 they all inherit my fox-hunting propensities. The 

 youngest of them, indeed, has already succeeded in 

 galloping her pony to a stand-still ; they all want 

 to go out hunting at once, and that adds to the 

 difficulties, and increases the expenses. As to the 

 house, through the kindness of Lord Overstone and 

 Colonel Loyd- Lindsay, I was located at Pitsford, 

 but that was too far from the kennels, and I went to 

 Brixworth, where I found an excellent landlord in my 

 old hunting friend, Mr. Drage, but unfortunately the 

 landlord was better than the house. It was so small, 



