The Master of the Hounds. 5 



talked over all the events of the day, abused their friends, 

 discussed the hounds, and criticized the huntsman, until at 

 last they had run themselves clean down, like a Dutch 

 clock. Stop ; they had not even mentioned the great 

 Baggs. I am quite certain, therefore, that it must have 

 been his Satanic Majesty's doing that suddenly induced 

 that mischievous dog, Larkins, to exclaim, with an 

 exultant slap of his dogskin-gloved hand on his thigh : 



" By George ! Dicky, my boy, sich a game's suddenly 

 occurred to dis child ! You know how Lord Daisyfield 

 hates and abominates old Baggs. What a lark it would 

 be to send him a card of the meet with my lord's compli- 

 ments." (The card was only sent about to the regular 

 people of the hunt, and, needless to say, Mr. Baggs never 

 got one, but had to depend on the great Mr. Shrub, of 

 the Daisyfield Arms, for all information connected with 

 the Harkaway.) 



'' I knows his address, sir, as old ' Spankie ' at Eton 

 used to say. The old beggar gave me his card, and said 

 he 'oped I'd come and see him, when I liquored him up 

 one day after a fall he got." 



Dick was charmed with the notion, and the pair at once 

 put their horses into a jog-trot, with the object of carrying 

 out their plan whilst it was fresh in their memories. Sure 

 enough, when they reached home, they found the card 

 with the meets for the next fortnight waiting them on the 

 hall-table. Forthwith, then, it was placed into a fresh 

 envelope, ''with Lord Daisyfield's compliments" written 

 across the top, and duly directed to their victim, and 

 popped into the post-bag. 



When the great Mr. Baggs on the following Monday 

 morning came down to breakfast, and, opening his letters, 



