104 Whyte-Melville's Sermon, 



thing — no one knows what — who never mixes much with 

 his neighbours in the county, but who has a decent house, 

 a horse or two — which he is constantly changing, as he sells 

 horses to the garrison ; with the command of some shooting 

 or fishing, besides being a promoter of local races ; a man 

 w^ho knows every regiment which comes, and gets in with 

 the young officers, and meets them by the covert-side, on 

 cricket-grounds and elsewhere, and sometimes dines at the 

 mess ; gives them a day's rabbit-shooting, " and a bit of 

 lunch and a game of cards afterwards," as he says. These 

 are the men who live entirely on their wits, and encourage 

 youngsters in every extravagance, and are jackals for the 

 money-lenders. 



One of this class died suddenly not very long since, and in 

 his private drawer were found loaded dice, beautifully 

 finished ; two or three dozen packs of new cards, the covers 

 of which had all been loosened so as to abstract the pack 

 and put it back again — ergo, marked cards ; coins in gold or 

 silver with two heads or two tails, as the case might be, and 

 a few oi\iQ,v facetice. 



I never knew a garrison town in or near which some one 

 or more of this doubtful class did not exist, I don't mean to 

 say that all men are convicted of having such a useful 

 collection as my deceased friend (?), but I allude to doubtful 

 m.en who never lose. 



Upon my word, it seems as if all the scoundrels in Europe 

 were determined, if possible to ruin young army officers. 

 If any good regiment would combine and invite all the 

 advertising money-lenders down on the same day, and at the 

 same hour, and get the soldiers out with the barrack engine 

 and pump over them, and trust to British juries and the 

 British public to see them out of the mischief, what a 

 glorious thing it would be. If heads of military depart- 

 ments would bestir themselves, and induce commanding 



