FARMING AND FOXHUNTING 



investment and further at some future date might 

 again be required, therefore why sell it ? 



His Lordship proceeded to put the point before 

 his Committee and then looked round the room, 

 counted the votes and said, " There you are, the 

 cottage must be sold." Someone ventured to say 

 that they did not think he was right. " What," he 

 said, " put your hands up again," and another count 

 was obtained. " Right," he said, " the cottage 

 must be sold," and began entering it in the minutes. 

 This I could not stand, knowing it to be contrary 

 to the majority of the Committee, and immediately 

 jumped to my feet and said, " My Lord, I challenge 

 the voting." — " What," he replied. " Can't I 

 count ? Please put up your hands again," and 

 when they were carefully counted the voting 

 showed a majority against selling the cottage. 

 The scene was really most amusing. 



On another occasion we were discussing the ad- 

 visability of calling a general Hunt meeting. Mr. 

 Robert Horton, quite innocently and with the sole 

 object of helping things on, made a comment on 

 the Duke of Beaufort's Annual Meeting. There 

 was a pause for a moment and then His Lordship 

 pushed back his chair and exclaimed, " Mr. Horton, 

 I haven't been fifty years in the House of Commons 

 unless I know how to conduct a public meeting." 



You can imagine how we all flattened out, and as 

 far as I can remember this incident brought the 

 meeting to an end. However, the General Meeting 

 came off". His Lordship took the Chair, made his 

 own statement, and never another word was 



148 



