(44) 



MR. AND LADY THOMASINA CLINKER. 



Y Jove ! Tommy, we're floored ; and we're late 

 too. What on earth's to be done ? These are 

 awful rails, you know. Will Rufus do 'em 

 after me, d'ye think ? We are bound to be late if we turn 

 back. What shall we do, old boy, eh ? " 



*' Oh ! Johnnie, we cant turn back, you know, and such 

 a day, too, as it is ! Oh, no ! Let's have a shy at them, 

 dear old man. Give me a lead, at once, sir. I dare say 

 you'll break the top rail." 



Now, anyone not being well acquainted with the mem- 

 bers of our renowned hunt, on reading the above conver- 

 sation, would naturally imagine that it was being carried 

 on between two of the male sex, in which case they would 

 be entirely wrong, for the two speakers are respectively a 

 remarkably good-looking young gentleman, exceedingly 

 well got up in hunting-costume, and who answered to the 

 name of Johnnie — full name, Mr. John Clinker, of Fernleigh 

 Lodge ; the other, a very charming curly-haired, blue-eyed^ 

 thoroughly English-looking young woman, who answers 

 to the masculine-sounding name of " Tommy," and who 

 is no other than Lady Thomasina, the fascinating and 

 hard-riding spouse of the aforesaid John, commonly called 

 *' Johnnie" Clinker. 



Lord Daisyfield's hounds are on this particular morn- 

 ing (such a hunting morning as it was, too, as Lady Tho- 



