MATCHING GREEN, 1 888 



157 



Harris, and Mrs. Bennett on wheels, Messrs. Arkwright, Sworder, Miller, 

 Doxat, Roffey, and Charrington (2). 



Saturday, Sept. 22nd. — A lovely morning for hunting, fair harbinger of 

 another summer day. Hare Street, at 6, saw the punctual ones en evidence. 

 The later ones, among them yours humbly, missed the chivvy of the first 

 cub, but what more enjoyable than to drop in for a good spin such as 

 the second one gave us, and take your first plunge over one or two trappy 

 ditches ? Two brace killed might be voted a brace too many, but never- 

 theless must be recorded. Much the same throng witnessed the game 

 played out as noted on Thursday, though Mr. R. Ball's and Mr. and Mrs. 

 Keppel's names may be added. 



Where were the cubs in 1888 ? 



Thursday, Sept. 27th, at Galley Hills, there was a very poor show. 



Monday, Oct. ist, at Abridge, a very good one and a brace were killed. 



Saturday, October 6. — At Coopersale a very fair show, but no scent, so 

 bad sport. 



To the uninitiated I cannot give a better description of Matching Green 

 than by quoting the words of that riding author and sportsman, Mr. W. 

 Westall, who, in his thrilling narrative of Nigel Fortescue, in " The 

 Hunted Man," says : " A quaint old Essex village of single-storied 

 cottages, with dormer windows, thatched roofs, and miniature gardens, 

 set in a fair landscape and clustering in picturesque irregularity round as 

 fine a green as you will find in the county." Well so it is, but what 

 took place on this particular occasion on Monday, November 5th, yet 

 remains to be chronicled. It is always sad to rem-ark the absence of well- 

 known and well-loved faces. Sir Henry's cheery smile and greeting were 

 missed by all ; but we congratulated ourselves that he would soon be in 

 the saddle again. Major Tait had not yet recovered from his polo accident, 

 and Mrs. Arkwright, who quite recently had a providential escape from being 

 killed, was unable to ride ; nor was Mr. Roland Bevan there. It must always 

 be so ; familiar faces disappear, new ones greet us, and it is only careless, 

 happy youth that marks it not. But let us glance at the more cheerful 

 view of the scene. The rain had just come in time, and foxes, if not too 

 plentiful, were known to be good, young hounds had Ijeen well entered, and 

 Bailey's nerve, " ye cravens," harder than ever. 



Mr. C. Green, though in black, was as usual a conspicuous member 

 of the Essex as he would be of any hunt, neat, keen, and a very neces- 

 sary part of a very fine weight-carrying horse ; the young master spick and 

 span, the van of the light weights, and among others the Father of the 

 hunt, the Rev. F. Fane, the Ridleys (3), young Tuffnell, the Misses Calde- 

 cott, Mr. Caldecott, Mr. and Mrs. Chisenhale Marsh, Messrs. Crosse, Kemp, 

 Jones, Sworder, Miller, Miles, Tippler, Miss Glyn, Messrs. R. Hill, 

 Tyndale White, Walmsley, Harrison, Christy, Mr. and Mrs. Lyon Bennett, 

 Messrs. C. Bury, Avila, Howard, Lawrence, Hull, Vaughan, Oliver, R. 

 Lochwood, Pemberton Barnes, Mr. and Mrs. Waters, Miss Maud Dawson, 

 Miss Tait, &c., &c. Alas, that it should be chronicled that Man Wood and 

 Brick Kilns were drawn blank on this memorable morning of Matching 

 Green ; but such is the fact, and apparently the sole tenant of Enviles or 

 Norwood was killed at the end of a twisting fifty minutes, in which there 

 was lots of jumping, lots of craning, and hounds very freely over-ridden, 

 Mr. Nicholson certainly scoring the biggest lep. No chance of a gallop, 

 and it's going to rain, said Robert''' ; but, nevertheless, he stuck to hounds 

 and joined the numerous throng that clustered round Down Hall. 



* Mr. R. Lockwood. 



