IN BOOKS AND REAL LIFE 197 



might have been heard over half a parish as 

 pheasants rose rocketing over the trees, and hares 

 came hopping out of the thickets. How the 

 keepers' attention had not been directed to his 

 vagaries, I don't know. Mild remonstrances, stern 

 reproofs, sharp pulling of the ears were of no avail ; 

 the young scamp seemed incorrigible. One day, 

 when he was running his usual ring, I heard him 

 coming straight for me, full cry. To eclipse 

 myself behind a big oak was, as the story 

 writers say, the work of a moment. By, within 

 a couple of yards, came a hare with ears laid 

 back, and half a minute afterwards was followed 

 by Master Charlie, pumped and half-blown, but 

 still with breath enough to bark. He literally 

 jumped into my arms, and you never saw a dog 

 so taken aback. He was as much surprised when 

 sharp and unaccustomed chastisement followed 

 close on the sin. For once the rod was not 

 spared, and from that hour he became a reformed 

 character. By the way, when he sobered down 

 with old age, he became a pretty regular church- 

 goer. He knew the signs of the Sabbath as well 

 as any of his friends, and when he heard the 

 bells he would slip away from the others to lie 

 in wait. When I went by on the first occasion, 

 he must have followed at a respectful distance, 

 for I never saw him till service was over. Hav- 

 ing tried it on successfully once, I never dis- 

 couraged him in a practice so praiseworthy, for 

 he gave no sort of trouble. I have been in 



