THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



the vortex of the fashionable world to reside in the country 

 with the husbands of their choice, look slightingly on the wives 

 and daughters of the gentlemen in the neighbourhood who may 

 not have had the entree into similar walks of life (from which, 

 indeed, their situation and circumstances excluded them), or 

 are unable to exhibit so many quarterings in their escutcheons. 

 Tliis was ■ not Lady Charlotte's failing. On the contrary, like 

 a woman of good sense, she conformed to the situation which 

 she had selected for herself in every respect; and although, 

 within the circle of her visiting, there were several ladies hold- 

 ing rank nearly equal to her own, still there were no young 

 ladies of her acquaintance oftener to be seen at the Abbey than 

 the daughters of the rector of the parish. 



The rector of Amstead was an old-fashioned country clergy- 

 man of whom John Bull was once wont to be so proud, and to 

 whom obedience and tithes were paid without a murmur. En- 

 abled, by the value of his preferment, the prudent management 

 of his income, and a limited family — two daughters and one 

 son — to make a most respectable appearance in society, and to 

 add to the valuable instruction given by him to liis congrega- 

 tion in the church, assistance to such as stood in need of it at 

 their homes, he was extremely beloved in his parish. In fact, 

 he was to the poor a 'Man of Ross'; and to his flock so 

 much a pastor to their mind that dissent was unknown in his 

 parish. And yet the rector was a sportsman — at least to a 

 certain extent. He was an excellent shot, in cover especially, 

 the woodcock being his favourite quarry. And here his turn- 

 out was somewhat remarkable, for he was always accompanied 

 by his clerk, who was not only an excellent beater of a wood, 

 but, having been the son of an Amstead gamekeeper, well knew 

 the haunts of a cock, in all the covers of his neighbourhood. 

 The clerk, however, like his rector, was much respected in his 

 own village, where he was considered a man of no mean accom- 

 plishments, inasmuch as, exclusively of his sacred avocation, he 

 was both a shoemaker and a schoolmaster, which induced a 

 wag to indite this couplet over his door : — 



John Wells' trades are three — 

 Cobbler, cleric, and domine ! 



The mention of one more person is essential to the develop- 

 ment of my tale — Mr. Beaumont Eaby, brother to the Squire 



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