ZTbe Earls Spencer ^S3 



the eyes of the Master was his proper one. Even the 

 homeward-bound horseman, far on his road, met with a 

 bad time if the fox, chancing to cross his path, altered 

 his course, and caused a momentary check. Turning 

 round upon one occasion in a Holdenby pasture to 

 rebuke some horsemen who, as he thought, were follow- 

 ing too closely upon the hounds, the Master found him- 

 self reproaching a small band of shorthorn brothers, who, 

 with whisk of tail and downward motion of the head, 

 seemed to treat with defiance the half-uttered remark 

 of the noble but incensed huntsman.' 



During Lord Spencer's second Mastership of the 

 Pytchley, the Empress of Austria, who had taken 

 Cottesbrook Park for a couple of months, hunted regu- 

 larly with the hounds. Her pilot was that gallant and 

 popular sportsman. Captain W. G. Middleton, gener- 

 ally known as ' Bay ' Middleton, whose tragic death in 

 the hunting-field was deeply deplored by all who 

 knew him. The Empress was a brilliant horsewoman, 

 and followed ' Bay ' Middleton's lead with great coolness 

 and pluck, though she sometimes caused Lord Spencer 

 anxiety by taking a line of her own over big places which 

 few even of the first flight cared to face. 



Her Imperial Majesty was a strong believer in the 

 virtues of good English malt and hops, and on more than 

 one occasion, when offered tea, she exclaimed in her own 

 charming way, somewhat to the astonishment of her 

 hostess, ' Oh, please let me have some beer, it v/ill do 

 me so much more good ! ' 



On one occasion when Mr Gladstone was a guest at 

 Althorp, there was great excitement among the field, 

 owing to the announcement that the ' Grand Old Man ' 

 would appear at the Meet. But, to the disappointment 



