A GRIND WITH THE GRAFTON. 295 



who led us a pretty dance, over baked and dusty 

 fallows and grass nearly as hard, by Denton and 

 Horton, till he died in the brook at Preston Deanery, 

 half the field up at the finish consisting of Lord 

 Penrhyn and members of his family. This run lasted 

 just two hours. 



But the particular grind I have in my mind was 

 longer and faster than any of these stop, though ! I 

 am beginning at the wrong end of my story. 



Again it was a Monday, and Fawsley was the 

 meet. Now it so happened that the year, which was 

 nearly out, had been one of the wettest on record, and 

 the country rode terribly deep. The week had been 

 one of gales and rain, and the wind was still high as 

 we trotted along to covert. Fawsley, however, is 

 convenient for the Weedon contingent as well as for 

 some of the Warwickshire men. Consequently the 

 muster of sportsmen and sportswomen to meet Smith 

 and the Grafton lady pack was a biggish one. 

 Although the Pytchley had been thereabouts on the 

 previous Saturday, Sir Rainald Knightley (since raised 

 to the Peerage) had a fox ready for us in the Fawsley 

 Woodyard, which ran first through some more of the 

 coverts lying on the steep slope of the park. 



Now mark the advisability of not knowing too 

 much. Fawsley is a meet not noted for sport, and it 

 has come to be a saying in the country that " any 

 horse will do for Fawsley." I, however, was at this 

 time new to the district, and consequently had out 

 two, and those my best. Verily I had my reward. 



As they reach the hill-top the wind is in our faces, 



