4 The Master of the Hounds. 



Lastly, he put a finishing touch to his delinquencies by 

 one day crossing pretty little Miss Bluebell, who was the 

 favourite of the hunt generally, and an especial pet of his 

 lordship's, just as she was in the act of riding at a fence, 

 and all but upsetting her, horse and all. Indeed, if the 

 fair lady, who could ride like a bird, had not had her horse 

 well in hand, she might have had what is commonly called 

 a nasty fall. Desperately angry with this last feat was 

 my lord, who had just piloted his fair friend over the 

 fence in question, and had turned in his saddle to watch 

 her performance. He had half made up his mind to ride 

 back again over the fence and horsewhip his enemy, but 

 before he could do so, Miss had set her horse going again, 

 and in another second came bounding over the obstacle as 

 light as a cork, and was once more at his side. '' Did 

 you thee that thtoopid man. Lord Daithyfield ? " lisped 

 she. '' Indeed I did, my dear Miss Bluebell. I do 

 trust," said he, with a paternal squeeze of her neatly-gloved 

 hand, '' I do trust you were not alarmed. Do have a little 

 orange brandy from my flask. No ? Well, well, I'm 

 glad it's no worse ; and that wretch of a man, too, who's 

 always doing something to annoy me. I do really wish 

 he would break his neck," wound up my lord fervently. 



If Dr. Watts is to be believed, that mischievous 

 old sportsman, Satan, is always able to find some 

 work for idle hands to do. Accordingly, one fine 

 afternoon, after a blank day, it happened that 

 Master Frank Larkins, late of Eton College, Bucks, 

 and now of Christ Church, Oxford, and his friend, 

 Dick Upton, also late of Eton, but just now gazetted to the 

 I i6th Lancers, were jogging homewards together, smoking 

 their cigars, and chattering like magpies. They had 



