'I'lii 'Viiiticr. 



»55 



nioiicv owimI Io liim was Inr iiKHirv In,! ;il cjrds ;il S;im'.s ou n lihic, 

 not one sirilliiii; ol w Ii'k li ((niM ever li,i\c hccn rccoviTcd in a 

 <-()tlll "I I.IW. Ill Mil 111I;MI,|I.I(iI liioiuclll, llic CMJ)!;!!!! |)(M"SU;l(lc'(l 

 liiin Io sijMi ;i Mil ot s.ilc Io liiin ol' :ill his person. il |)io|)crly ;is a 

 S('( iiiil\- " iiificl\' :is ,1 III. liter oT (oiiii;" and Ironi lli.il nioineiil lu' 

 had pl.ieed hiiiisell ill ihe power oT as nii'.eiiipidons a sharper as 

 e\ er e\i .led. 



Al (i\c \\f s.il down Io an e\eelleiil dinner, S.iiii (hd 

 lh>' honours of ihe l.ihK- wilh ihe ni.iniieis ol" a line s^cnlle- 

 niHii, which all ihe colli, iniinal ion ol' low hahils ,ind low a.sso- 

 ' I. lies li.id liol ell. iced. I lis wile seeiiied lar more ch(>errul, 

 and her iii. inner was huh h iiioie coidi.il louards ine thai) 

 when I h.id lirsl met her in the ('.irdeii. Sporliiij'; .snbjeel.s 

 seemed a\(»ided hy lacit conseiil, and dinner p.issed oil" amid 

 a desnlloiy ( oiu cis.ition on <MMier.il lopics siu h as all conld 

 join in. I'lil when wc (piietly settled down in Sam's lillK' 

 sanctum (lor lliere was a lireplace in the old siimnier house. 

 \vhi( h rendered it very eomrorl.ihie now the nlchls wen- l)e!';in- 

 ninj; Io jm-I chilly), we lairly o|)ened. We were now joined hy 

 Tom Woodeioll and a sporlim; Iriend. We talked of" horses and 

 hounds, and the system oC Meynell." Sam \\\\\v us a jnaphie dc- 

 scri|)lion of I wo or three lainons inns in w lii( h he h.id dist iiii'iiished 

 liimseil; ,iiid his ;i( (oiiiit ol the in. inner in which old Mor!;aii 

 carried him o\cr the lock pound ,iiid the spiked I'.iie out of Norhnry 

 Wood, rorined iiol the least inleresling lopics in thai evening's con 

 vcrsalion ; hnl not the sliidilesl allusion did he e\cr make (o any of 

 those little p.ilches which adorned the walls, the history ol wdiich I. 

 was loninnj^ to hear. In (act, as lliey ohseivcd, Sam was a ( ii|) loo 

 low on this occasion. 



We passed a rcniaik.ihly |)leasanl evening — noliiinpj like* cxrcsH. 

 I was on my jMi.ird, Imt there was no occasion lor il. 'I'om Wood- 

 <:ro(t ( onid not drink, liavinj^ pist risen from a si( k hed, to wdiich lu* 

 had heeii conlined lor the last three weeks, hy a broken collar- 

 hone and I wo broken ribs. The caj)lain, like his cral'l, was careful, 

 and I loihtw (•(! suit , a-nd there was no j)ressiiii^. S.im niereJy (;b- 



