342 mms of tbe 1!5unting*jfiel& 



Tamlyn, I wrote him a polite note inviting him to 

 dine with us ; but he dech'ned the honour, much to the 

 disgust of Mrs Smith, who consoled herself with these 

 words, " Well, never mind, I'll give it to 'en myself the 

 first time I set eyes on the mean old scamp." 



' And I have reason to believe that she absolutely kept 

 her word ; for she was a veritable termagant, a tigress 

 in petticoats.' 



In 1 83 1 Russell left Iddesleigh to take the curacy 

 of Tordown near Barnstaple, and in the following year 

 he was appointed perpetual curate of Swymbridge, 

 where he passed the next forty-five years of his life. 

 It was here that he first came into collision with his 

 diocesan the great Henry Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter, 

 who cited him to appear before him and answer certain 

 charges, among them being one to the effect that he 

 had refused to bury a child because it was his hunting- 

 day. These and -other preposterous charges Russell 

 easily and conclusively refuted. 



Much disappointed, apparently, at the result of the 

 inquiry, and still unwilling to relax his grasp on Russell, 

 the bishop thus addressed him : — 



' The fact still remains, I grieve to say, that you, 

 the incumbent of Swymbridge, keep hounds, and that 

 your curate ' (who was also present) ' hunts with you. 

 Will you give up your hounds ? ' 



' No, my lord ; I decline doing so.' 



He then turned to the curate and said, ' Your license, 

 sir, I revoke, and I only regret that the law does not 

 enable me to deal with the graver offender in a far 

 more summary manner.' 



' I am very happy to find you can't, my lord,' said 

 Russell, ' and still happier to know that I have done 



