YORKSHIRE 299 



children, have their dwelUng ; and by way of preventing riot by 

 night, a small trap-door opens close to Tommy's head when in bed, 

 through which either himself or his wife, whichever may be awake, 

 can rate the hounds, and put all quiet in an instant. Methinks I 

 hear Lady Londonderry exclaim, " Heavens ! how can people bear 

 to be so near those nastj/ clofis ! What a stench there must be ! " — 

 Not a bit of it, mj- Lady ! To Tommy and his wife it is all lavender 

 water ; and, should the wind set that way, and waft into then' 

 chamber a little of the kennel perfume, it would only be to them 



" Like the sweet South 

 That breaks upon a bank of violets. 

 Stealing and giving odour." 



In everything relating to the passion for hunting, INIr. Matthew 

 Wilkinson may have his equal, but his superior would be difficult to 

 produce. His attachment to his hounds is almost beyond belief. 

 He has always some of his favourites walking about his house ; and 

 to a bitch with whelps he will give as much as she can eat of a good 

 sirloin of beef or leg of mutton from his own table. I had it on un- 

 questionable authority, that, although he keeps ten or twelve cows, 

 the whelps in the spring have all the best milk, and nothing but sky- 

 blue is allowed for the house ! I was also informed, that it has 

 been his practice to keep a tame fox, which would run about the 

 house and buildings for the edification of the puppies as soon as 

 they were able to follow him. He keeps but four hunters for 

 himself and Tommy, and his stable system is this — His horses are 

 never physicked, neither are they galloped in their exercise — having, 

 as he observes, " plenty of galloping when they hunt." In corn, 

 their bellies form the measure. 



Death and its terrors kick the beam when put into the scale 

 against Matty Wilkinson's passion for the chase. Although he 

 cannot swim, no, not even a little, he has crossed that rapid and 

 deep river the Tees at least forty times in his life after his hounds, 

 and has had some hair-breadth escapes. Very soon after I was in 

 his country, he was in the greatest danger of being drowned. He 

 plunged into this stream when swelled with rain, and was unhorsed 

 in the middle of it. Fortunately, catching hold of one of the 

 stirrups, his horse dragged him out, but I believe it was what is 



