THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



'Make so bold, Mr. Raby,' observed Dick, 'what do you 

 call a whole good one ? ' 



'He wants a turn of speed, Dick, as your old£Clodhopper 

 wants a turn of blood. You see Jte could not do it at the last, 

 or you would have been here to save nie the trouble of keeping 

 your hounds at bay.' 



This speech was ' daggers to the soul ' of poor Dick, and 

 all vestige of the ' grin ' disappeared. In fact, so dejected was 

 he, in the servants' hall, throughout the evening — so unusual 

 with him when his hounds had been showing sport — that he 

 was more than once asked if he were not ill ? 



' There is nothing the matter with me,' was his reply ; but 

 on waking from a bit of a snooze in his chair, after two extra 

 horns of ale, he was heard to sing out — 



' Damn that white plantation gate ! ' 



It might, for a moment, be a matter of surprise in what way 

 the various discussions which have been detailed, relating to 

 the schemes and speculations of the young Squire, reached the 

 ears of his parents ; but when it is recollected that five servants 

 on the establishment were involved in them, the thing is easily 

 accounted for. 



To begin. ' La, Miss Raby,' said her maid, when attending 

 her in her bedroom, the next night, ' what do you think ? — we 

 shall be so gay at Amstead ; Mr. Francis is going to keep race- 

 horses ! Oh, how I do love a race ! Then,' continued the 

 Abigail, ' he is going to have the finest greyhounds in the 

 world, and we are all to go to the coursing meeting, to see 

 him win the cup. But I haven't told you all yet, miss. The 

 coachman said last night, in the hall (as the servants' hall is 

 called), that you was no longer to be drawn about by those old 

 black horses, with long tails, only fit for a funeral ; and that 

 Mr. Francis was going to London to buy four blood bays, as the 

 coachman, I think, called them.' 



' I don't believe it, Sophy,' said Miss Raby. 



' It's true, upon my honour, ma'am,' resumed the Abigail ; 

 ' and not only that, but you are to have a new coach as well, 

 to be built under Mr. Francis's direction. And I suppose j^ou 

 have heard of his new horse ? ' 



' Not I, indeed,' was the reply. 



'La, miss; why he bought him out a hunting with tlic fox- 

 hounds, tlie day before yesterday, for 300 guineas, and \ Iicai'd 



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