THE LATE FITZROY STANHOPE. 199 



none. I allude to the late Honourable Fitzroy 

 iStanbope, than whom a kinder-hearted creature 

 never existed. Few men had seen more of the 

 world in all its phases than poor Stanhope ; but 

 under whatever circumstances you met him, 

 "whether at the social board, on the racecourse, 

 on the box of a " drag," in the snuggery of the 

 Garrick Club, or in the shooting-field, he was 

 ever the hio-h-bred gentleman. His nerve and 

 head when on the box were wonderfully good. 

 I well recollect sitting^ behind him on the late 

 Hervey Aston's coach at Ascot races, when the 

 owner, who was rather short-sighted, drove his 

 leaders against some very strong ropes that 

 surrounded the booths ; and, as the team was 

 very skittish, we must have come to grief had 

 not Fitzroy, in the coolest manner, helped us 

 out of the scrape by catching hold of the reins. 

 This he did in a most quiet and good- 

 humoured manner, and with so much 

 tact that Aston was pleased instead of being 

 offended. 



'* You are an excellent coachman," said 

 Stanhope, "but a little too venturesome; there, 

 take the ribbons again, no one handles them 

 better." 



The above was the second escape from 



