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wonderful passion for hounds entirely confined to 

 equestrians, for what schoolboy is there who, when 

 he hears " the sound of the horn on a fine hunting 

 morn" will not "play the truant," even in the very 

 teeth of that most humiliating administrator of justice, 

 the " tawse " ? But the pain of similar punishments 

 in the past is counterbalanced by the intoxicating 

 delights which necessitated it, and so he bolts off 

 whenever an opportunity presents itself, and runs 

 in hot pursuit of the hounds as long as his legs will 

 carry him. The writer has many a time, when at 

 school, been chastised for similar misdemeanours, but 

 the wrath of the teacher always appeared in a measure 

 fictitious, and if the dignity of his position and the 

 discipline of the school could have been maintained, 

 he himself would probably have been the /irs^ to 

 show the way ! 



Again, in passing through a village every heart 

 beats high at the inspiring ** sound of the horn," 

 and the humble villagers turn out to a man — ay, 

 and to a woman, too — to catch a glimpse of the 

 dashing hounds, while they stand in breathless wonder 

 gazing with unfeigned delight till the last rider has 

 disappeared. Even the usually low spirits of the 

 miserable tramp on the public highway become 

 elevated at the sight of hounds. He will invari- 

 ably stop and watch hounds and riders dashing past 

 in brilliant haste with an interest which no other 

 circumstance can awaken in his heart. The stolid, 

 sour expression of his wretched countenance, deep- 



