THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



' Who is the farmer going so well on the chestnut ? ' asked 

 one. 



' Get his price for nie,' exclaimed another. ' He's mine, if 

 I give live hundred for hini,' roared a third. 'A thousand 

 would not purchase him,' exclaimed Frank Raby, who was 

 within hearing of the trio. ' He belongs to Jemmy Tomlin- 

 son, a friend of mine, in Cheshire, and he calls him Tlte 

 Pea: 



At the end of the run, how^ever, which * Jemmy ' w'as there 

 to see, one or two of the field who had not heard the explana- 

 tion given by our hero, and, mistaking his rider for a yeoman, 

 asked him to put a price on his horse. The answer may be 

 anticipated. 



We arc now about to notice a great change in the situation 

 and circumstances of our hero. At the age of thirty-six, he 

 lost his excellent father, who died after a few hours' illness, 

 and before his son could reach him, although, of course, sent 

 for by express. To describe the scene of affliction that 

 Amstead Abbey presented on this melancholy occasion, would 

 be productive of no good to the generality of my readers, and, 

 perhaps, bring to the recollection of some of them hours of 

 similar distress. The blow to Lady Charlotte was as severe 

 as it w^as sudden, requiring all the energies of her soul and 

 body to enable her to withstand its force ; but forasmuch as 

 the weight of human sorrow, like that of human power, is 

 broken by being divided, she was not entirely comfortless. 

 Her two daughters, although married, happened to be within 

 easy reach of her at the time ; and the presence of her son, 

 of whom she was justly proud, from the accounts she heard of 

 him from all quarters, was balm to her wounded spirit. And 

 we will produce a fact to show that .she had not been deceived 

 in the representations of him, and that he was worthy of being 

 the representative of the excellent father of whom he had been 

 bereaved. On the day subsequent to the funeral, which, in 

 addition to his own dependants, was attended by the carriages 

 of all the neighbouring families, and what told more for the 

 virtues of the deceased, by the bewailings of the poor of the 

 neighbouring villages, who had partaken of his fostering care 

 and charity to an unusual degree, slie received from him the 

 following letter : 



367 



