THE FITZHERBERTS. 91 



combine the good qualities of both. And this brings us 

 to one of the other sex, the Colonel's daughter, Miss 

 Mildred FitzHerbert (now the Honble. Mrs. Moncreift). 

 She was not only a horsewoman of the finest calibre, 

 equally good on a young one or on a perfect hunter, but 

 she had a wonderful eye to hounds and a country, and 

 knew all about it. She wanted no pilot, and to see her 

 sweeping along on her favourite, Tory, was a treat, for 

 she knew how to gallop, an art which few men, and 

 hardly any women, ever acquire. She could turn and 

 twist with hounds like one of them, while her eye was 

 never off the pack. Many a time has the writer seen her, 

 when every one was riding along a lane or road, gossiping, 

 while hounds were at fault, stop suddenly, pull her horse 

 round, and jump out of it. Her quick eye had noticed 

 that a hound had hit the line, while other people were 

 busy with their own concerns. Perhaps one reason why 

 she was so good to hounds was that she never lost a 

 chance through inattention. It seemed a pity that such 

 an ornament to the huntin2;-field should have been 

 destined to go and live in Scotland. Miss Rose Fitz- 

 Herbert (now Mrs. Peacock) was also her father's constant 

 attendant, and rode well, having plenty of practice on 

 young ones at home, and her sister. Miss Mabel, was 

 equally good. In fact, all the family took to riding as 

 naturally as ducks to water, but, even at Somersal, there 

 were not horses enough for such a number, fifteen in all, 

 to go out hunting at the same time. Mr. (now the Rev.) 

 Reginald was the child of the Rufibrd Hunt, and at ten 

 years of age was promoted to a home-made red coat and 

 a hunting cap, as being a sportsman of experience. When 

 his father first went to Nettleworth the riding of the 

 members of the Hunt was at a low ebl), people being 

 pretty much content to ride from point to point as they 

 did in pre-Meynellian days. Colonel FitzHerbert played 

 the part of the Flying Childe of Kinlet in that district. 

 The Rev. Banks Wright is made to express his contempt 

 for it in the lines where he says — 



