Ci)t Career of a ^ptir. 



pattern, and how well do I recollect, with several 

 other pairs, being encased in tissue paper, previous 

 to being forwarded on approval to the kennels of our 

 local pack. 



It was a bleak evening at the end of October, 

 when old Sparks, the carrier, handed "our" little 

 parcel over to Mrs. Hornblower, the huntsman's 

 wife, and on the following morning four pairs of 

 us were duly selected to be kept by the worthy 

 partner of her joys. The rowels of one of these (for 

 the second horseman I learned since) Hornblower 

 scrubbed up and down the brick wail of his cottage 

 in the most merciless manner; but it fell to our lot 

 to be chosen for his individual use, and we, con- 

 sequently, escaped such degradation. 



How brightly we shone, too, a few da}'s later when 

 attached to as neat a pair of top boots as huntsman 

 ever donned ! It was our opening Meet, and what a 

 day we had, to- be sure ! As a matter of fact, it was 

 absolutely my first day's hunting, and I thoroughly 

 enjoyed it ; but hunting four days a week, as I after- 

 wards did, the novelty of the thing soon wore off, 

 as did also, alas ! some of our thickly-plated silver. 



I, however, flatter myself that before the end of 

 that season I knew my duty as well as any of my 

 metal brethren extant. Did I not, forsooth, almost 

 instinctively wriggle myself into the sides of old 



