222 NIMROUS NORTHERN TOUR. 



I read in the Keith Hall hunting-book, at the conclusion of the 

 description of a capital run the following pithy sentence : 

 " William Hay (of Dunse Castle) and myself dined together in 

 the evening, and finished Timotheus /" The only comment that 

 I have to make upon this, is, that I am quite sure Timotheus 

 would have finished me. 



My having spoken of " David the butler," in an establishment 

 such as this is, calls forth a remark. Lord Kintore, in his politics 

 is a liberal whig, and, like another Publius Valerius, pledged to 

 the cause of the people ; yet, like another Ouintus Cincinnatus, 

 he possesses the spirit of an ancient patrician, and wishes to 

 keep things in their places. Thus, it is not at Keith Hall as at 

 my late neighbour's in Hampshire ; there are no Mr. Woods the 

 butler; Mr. Chapman the bailiff ; Mr. Gregson the huntsman ; 

 Mr. Smallbones the gardener; and old Billy Chute the master /*; 

 In fact, there are no Misters or Mistresses in the servants' hall 

 at Keith Hall ; but it is " David" the butler ; " Joe Grant" the 

 huntsman; "Willie" the groom; "John" the gardener; and 

 " his lordship," the master.- David has grown grey in the service 

 of his present master and his father, and is as reputable a looking 

 servant as ever put a bottle of wine upon a table, or stood in front 

 of a sideboard. 



Wednesday, 31. A very hard frost, and all chance of my 

 seeing hounds in the Keith Hall country, during this visit, gone 

 by. Saw the pack fed ; looked over the farm buildings ; in- 

 spected the stalls, cart-horses, &c., all first rate, and very much 

 like business ; walked to Joe Grant's cottage, which stands plea- 

 santly on a bank, overlooking Keith Hall ; and strolled about 

 the domain till dusk. But the stables, were they omitted ? Cer- 

 tainly not ; nor the paddocks, in which were some young things, 

 one of which is very likely to become first rate as a hunter. 



" Perhaps, Nimrod," said Lord Kintore to me during our stroll, 

 " you may be surprised at my preferring Keith Hall, as a resi- 

 dence, to my other place (Inglismaldie), near Laurence-kirk, 

 where the greater part of my property lies, and which is more in 

 the world than this ; but / was bred here, and that makes me 

 partial to it." I answered him in the words of the poet 



" Be it a weakness it deserves some praise ; 

 We love the play-place of our early days." 



But this passion is universal, and carried to a great extreme. 



* It may be remembered, that I stated the fact of the late Mr. Chute, 

 of The Vine, Hampshire, having overheard the above nomenclature 

 given to his establishment and himself, in a discourse between a party 

 of his labourers, which I had from his own lips. 



