COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 387 



August. Rev. Mr. Wicks came out on foot with a 

 pint bottle and a broken wine-glass and gave me a 

 glass of cherry brandy. 



During the summer of 1868 I got possession of 

 the cottage at Brix worth on a lease of five years, and 

 Mr. Wood, my landlord, agreed to lay out a year's 

 rent on improvements. I set to work on it, and 

 built the drawing-room and a staircase, and just 

 succeeded in getting into it at the beginning of the 

 hunting season. 



Edward Goode, the builder in Brixworth, under- 

 took the work, and was a first-rate workman and 

 excellent man. I used to ride over every day from 

 Great Houghton, and all the stablemen used to work 

 as masons' labourers in the afternoon, their only pay 

 being some pints of beer. They got on well with the 

 work, as we got into the house on i2th November. 

 The plaster was not quite dry and used to sweat at 

 night ; I used to wipe it down with a rough cloth. 

 Then Bill got an attack of bronchitis ; we were able 

 to keep him in the old part of the house with a 

 curtain across the passage. 



My wife was very unwell during most of the 

 winter, and I did not like to disturb her in the 

 morning. I waited till the last moment, and then 

 galloped all the way to covert. I went to Misterton, 

 sixteen miles, with two hacks, and did it in an hour 

 and ten minutes. 



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