THE BAKB AND THE BRIDLE. 135 



numerously attended and fashionable reception at her own house 

 the same evening ; and with a brougham in waiting at St. Pancras, 

 and a pair of fast horses, joined to the wonderful " smartness" (if I 

 may be permitted the expression) displayed by the fair and aris- 

 tocratic votary of Diana in the field, I should think the thing quite 

 possible as regarded time. 



The above-named party was mounted at Melton by some friends ; 

 but, by giving fair notice, thoroughly good and well-made hunters 

 can always be secured by any of the Midland hunting centres by 

 those who do not care to rail their own horses from London, 

 Market Harborough is still more accessible than Melton, being but 

 two hours from London, and situated in the centre of a splendid 

 grass country, hunted by Mr, Tailbj ; while a smart trot of eight 

 miles would bring the sporting voyageur to Kilworth Sticks and the 

 Pytchley, provided the right day was selected. Rugby, too, is 

 equally accessible, and boasts a fair hotel, where the charges are 

 not more extortionate than they are at Harborough, which is saying 

 a good deal. The hunting in the vicinity of Rugby, however, amply 

 compensates for a little overdoing in the matter of charges. 



It is scarcely possible to go to Rugby the wrong day to get at 

 hounds within a reasonable distance, and some of the meets of that 

 admirable pack, the North Warwickshire, are frequently at such 

 picturesque and convenient try sting places as Bilton Grange — now 

 celebrated by the Tichborne trial, and sworn to as the place where 

 the " Claimant " was not. However this may be, a straight- 

 necked and wily gentleman is generally to be found at home, 

 either in the plantations of the grand old demesne or close by at 

 Bunker's Hill or Cawston Spinney, who is tolerably certain to 

 lead the claimants for his brush a merry dance across the glorious 

 grass country to Barby, Shuckborough, or Ashby St. Leger. 

 The fences, too, in this part of the IMidlands are just the thing for a 

 lady's hunting, and, while quite big enough in most cases to require 

 a little doing, they are by no means so formidable as those in High 

 Leicestershire and the Quorn country. The old-fashioned buUfincher 

 is rare, and double ox fences equally so, while there is a pretty 

 variety of nice stake-and-binders, pleached hedges, and fair-water 



