The Great Presentation Day. 171 



strictly entre nous, and must go no further) would have 

 been only too happy to present his lordship with an 

 ornament for the foot of his table in the shape of one of 

 her two lovely and accomplished daughters, either of whom 

 would, she felt sure, make him a most admirable 

 Countess. It may seem odd, but it was our old farmer 

 friend, Ralph Duckworth, who finally settled the question. 



'* What's your opinion, Ralph ? " inquired Tom Chirp- 

 ington, coming across to the old man in Bullerton High 

 Street, one market day. 



'' Well, / says, give my lord his picter," replied 

 Ralph. '' Directly I heard of the idea," he continued, '' I 

 said to myself, a looking up at my print of Old John 

 Ward on Blue Ruin, with his favourite 'ound Betsy 

 beside him, that hangs in my parlour at the Wild ; thafs 

 the sort o' thing I should like to contribute to. Get 

 some painter feller down to take him off in his hunting 

 costoom, mounted on Peter the Great, that brown 'oss 

 of his he's so fond of, with p'raps Tom Tootler and the 

 whips and the 'ounds in the distance, and then we could 

 have a lot printed off, don't you see, squire, and each of 

 us could have one to frame and hang up." 



The sporting old farmers idea '' took on," as the 

 Yankees say, not only with Tom Chirpington, but 

 with everyone else, and was at once acted upon. Lord 

 Daisyfield's consent had next to be obtained, and, that 

 having been readily accorded (though my lord rather 

 ''jibbed " at having to give sittings), nothing more remained 

 but to get hold of a *' painter feller," at once, if not sooner. 

 One was quickly found in the shape of Mr. Scumbler, 

 whose memorable ride on Charles Wildoats' mare, 

 Molly Bawn, we mentioned in a previous chapter, and to 



