FOX-HUNTING RECOLLECTIONS 45 



night, Joe/' to which he would reply in a stage 

 whisper, '' Good-night, Sir ; if you should think 

 of a bye-day towards the end of the week, perhaps 

 you would drop me a line. Sir, as the fish said to 

 the angler/' 



Another time, somewhere towards Shrove 

 Tuesday, '' Good-night, Joe. Do you ever hunt in 

 Lent ? " He replied, '' Never, Sir, except on a 

 Lent horse/' 



Then again at the end of the season, when the 

 last day came round, '' Good-bye, Joe. Wonder 

 when we shall meet again ? " With an air of pro- 

 found mystery he would answer, '' Perhaps, Sir, 

 I might have to be in the neighbourhood of 

 Epsom, Sir, on some important business about 

 the last week in May." I doubt if that idea ever 

 quite came off ; at least, I never saw him at the 

 Derby, and I suspect Mrs. Pitt drew the line at 

 a racecourse. 



Later on in the evening of life this worthy 

 couple left Rendcomb and retired to Torquay, 

 where the quaint old Rector ended his days 

 far away from those Cotswold Hills he loved so 

 well. 



