CHASING AND RACING 13 



he had been married for nearly twenty years, without 

 issue, and his wife was, poor soul, a hopeless invalid. 

 But my sister had a quiver-full. 



Just before we lost our dear old " Dads,'* I had 

 become engaged to Ted Jaquet's sister, my first cousin, 

 Alicia ; but " The Mums " did not approve of 

 consanguineous marriages, so the romance failed to 

 materialize. Consequently I was fancy free when, 

 having handled some of my inheritance " on account,'* 

 I took a furnished house in Kensington, which Ted 

 and I made our H.Q. what time we were running 

 around. We brought back a pair of goats from the 

 Emerald Isle and turned them loose in the garden 

 attached to Cleeve Lodge, where they proceeded to 

 play such havoc that I had to disburse £,2^0 when my 

 tenancy came to an end ! 



Then I had leanings toward a strictly rural life 

 and so secured a furnished abode at Twickenham, 

 where Ted and I were to live — surrounded by live 

 stock — as confirmed bachelors. We had dogs galore 

 (with one Charlie Heritage as kennelman), cats, 

 rabbits, a surly and savage badger, geese, turkeys, 

 poultry of various breeds, and small deer in the shape 

 of aviary pets, guinea pigs, white rats, and tortoises. 



But even with this miniature farmyard and 

 zoo combined we were restless. We had entered 

 into possession in the merry month of May. The 

 call of springtide stirred our blood and turned our 

 fancies (by no means " lightly ") be it said, to thoughts 



