DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 85 



hat. Excitement grew by degrees until the more 

 vigorous speakers thumped the tables and made the 

 glasses and their stirring spoons jump, and every 

 time this happened the big man moved his hat again, 

 sometimes backward, at others forward, until his 

 eyes were almost hidden. A speaker desired to know, 

 with a thump that made all the tables shake, 'What 

 do the Tory party mean by putting a shilling on wheat 

 and then taking it off again? Rents too high, I should 

 think they be, and I should like to hear anybody say 

 they baint.' 



I could not keep my eyes from the direction of 

 the curly-brimmed beaver which had moved in answer 

 to ever}'' talker; it moved this time into a new position, 

 quite on one side, and this movement seemed to have 

 been noticed generally and taken as a sign that the 

 wearer was about to speak. There was a call of 'Order, 

 order for Mr Watts.' W^ithout rising Mr Watts brought 

 a thick voice from somewhere, many buttons down, 

 that said, 'I've been thinking, and I've thought so 

 before, that the comforts of a glass of grog, or it may 

 be two, gives us a hking for just one more before we 

 toddle, and when we have got to a real liking for 

 it we don't like rents at all. How would it be now 

 if we each settled what rent we should pay instead 

 of Squire's doing it? There be some in this room, 

 I don't mention names, that are pretty warm; some 

 of it in the bank and perhaps the missus a tidy bit 

 in the stocking, who after they had driven the dear 

 old Squire into the workhouse would begrudge to 

 pay the poor-rate.' Then he rose, tugged the creases 

 from his waistcoat, and added, 'Them that's going to 

 the shoot has had enough, and so has them as baint. 

 I be going home, so "Good-night." ' 



When the doctor is my companion he plans and 

 orders to my perfect satisfaction; he has such a taking 

 way, especially with women-folk, that he gets all he 

 asks for. Had it been my duty to have ordered 



