CHAPTER XV. 



" Come, pull out the corks and fill up the cups, 

 Let's toast with all honours the ' walkers of pups'; 

 And drink to that mortal, whatever his rank, 

 Whose heart heaves a sigh when his covert 's drawn blank." 



OTHER good tenant faimiers and puppy walkers, and 

 there were any amount of them, were the Robinsons, 

 Charles, Dick and Fred, who, as a rule, competed against 

 each other for the prize puppies; more often than not the 

 money fell to Charles' share, as he had no other family to 

 look after but his puppies, and took great pride in turning 

 them out in tip-top style ; Dick had no family, too, but his 

 better-half paid more attention to the poultry and calves 

 than seemed to be necessary, as the foxhound puppies only 

 played second fiddle in her management ; but Mrs. Fred was 

 a good lover of foxhounds and sport all round, but unfor- 

 tunately had a lot of bairns to draw her off occasionally. 

 Charley was as well known as his chestnut mare, " Pigeon," 

 with which he won a selling race at Sedgefield, but never 

 could get first past the post for the farmer's race, though 

 he often competed, but did not ride himself. I rode once 

 for him, and the old thing finding the ground too hard for 

 her shelly feet, didn't care about the drop over the quick 



