MR. STORY FINES THE MARQUESS ! IO5 



not seen the master. Time went on, and after waiting 

 half-an-hour, as there was no sign of the Squire making 

 his appearance, Mrs. Story ordered in the lunch — not 

 without conveying an expression of her opinion that the 

 butler knew more of his master's whereabouts than he 

 seemed inclined to tell. After luncheon, the Squire's son, 

 the Parson, came out to the butler and said: "Now look 

 here, Taylor, its no use your denying; I'm sure you know 

 where the Squire is," to which Taylor smilingly replied : 

 " Of course I do, sir; but its no business of mine, and I 

 wasn't going to Met on' before the ladies," for which 

 prudence, no doubt he was highly commended. The 

 discreet butler now wisely thought it would be well to get 

 the grooms and stable-men out of the way before the Squire 

 should return ; so invited them all up to his pantry, 

 supplying them with as much ale as made them — well ! 

 pleased to remain there. 



About three o'clock in came the Squire, and Taylor 

 was the first to whom he confided that he had been over to 

 see a bit of cock-fighting in a barn at Donnington Park, 

 and that just as they were in the middle of the third main, 

 with pretty high stakes on the board, a strong body of 

 police attempted to force their way into the barn where the 

 Marquess and his friends were assembled ; who, realizing 

 that as Mr. Story was a Magistrate, it would be doubly 

 awkward for him to be found present, they quickly hoisted 

 the squire up to a window at the back, by which he 

 escaped just as the representatives of law and order suc- 

 ceeded in effecting an entry ! The gist of the story, how- 

 ever lies in the fact that Mr. Story sat on the Bench the 

 following day when the parties, whose names had been 

 taken by the police, were represented by a Solicitor, and 

 Mr. Story, in his capacity as Magistrate, performed the 

 duty of imposing a fine upon his host the Marquess, and 

 every person present — excepting himself! ! — who, the reader 

 may be inclined to think, deserved a double fine ! 



