COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 193 



at Birmingham, and he was removed to the asylum 

 at Warwick, where he died. He was a good, honest 

 chap, devoted to hunting, and a good hound breeder ; 

 but his wife was a she-devil, very good-looking, with 

 the manners of a duchess, and she was the ruin of 

 him. 



Letter to my wife :— 



" Stratton Audley, 

 " Monday evening, lyth September, 1855. 



" I was too sleepy to write to-day in time for the 

 post, and I don't know which is stiffer now, myself 

 or ' Charlie ' (the terrier), who is asleep in the 

 corner ; but I rode on a saddle which was too short 

 for me, so my seat is less comfortable than his. I 

 can tell you my bed has not been a bed of roses 

 since I came here. In the first place, the first night 

 I came into this house it was so luu^d, being only 

 cushions and no mattress, that every time I turned I 

 woke. Now the mattress is too big, and I am 

 hedged in and can hardly turn at all. 



" First, my feeder absconded, then Cross was taken 



ill — in fact, has been so ever since I returned. He 



was so drowsy and stupid that I thought he would 



have a fit. He could not feed the hounds, and was 



useless in the field, and all the time said he was quite 



well. But I could not stand it any longer, so I sent for 



the doctor on Saturday, and we have got him in bed 



with leeches on the back of his neck. He is better 



to-day, and I hope will soon get out ; but I have had 



to feed the hounds myself and hunt them too. They 



nearly had their eyes torn out, and ran six hours in a 

 VOL. I. 13 



