CONDOLING WITH A VICTIM. 235 



but aged ears by no means ' played truant with his tales ; ' 

 for John Crerar and the older sportsmen discovered 

 properties in him quite adequate, they said, to destroy the 

 aport of a whole season. What was to be done ? If he 

 remained in the glen, it was imperative on him to be 

 totally silent : singing French airs was out of the question. 

 The deer, said the Duke, were not to be had as in the 

 time of Orhpeus ; on the contrary, it was more becoming 

 to be mute, and to lie concealed like Marius in the marshes 

 of Minturnse, and somewhat better. But it seemed quite 

 evident that nothing short of the combined powers of 

 laudanum and a strait-waistcoat could effect any re- 

 straint upon our gentleman. These were not at hand, 

 and, if they had been so, it might perhaps have been 

 thought somewhat inhospitable to have used them ; so 

 that idea was dropped at once. In this dilemma it was 

 deemed advisable to send him up with the drivers, to 

 plague you: in short, it was resolved that he should 

 evacuate the glen. He started joyfully, for he was a 

 famous walker out of all sight the best in France ; in- 

 deed, no one of any nation was equal to him. But the 

 hill-men asserted that this was not his particular walking 

 day ; so that, I am told, he soon became most deplorably 

 exhausted, and, according to all accounts, delayed the 

 drive at least an hour or so. Fortune bounteously gave 

 him many fair shots ; but, alas, what she distributed with 

 one hand, she took away with the other; for he missed 

 them clean every one." 



" Mais Jest etonnant cela. I who never make the miss ! " 

 " Perhaps your honour forgot to put in the baal." 

 "Ah! voild ce que c'est, vous Tavez trouve, mon ami. 



