His Influence and Advice. 1 1 



he has a wonderful knack of getting his own way. 

 Whatever the great house may propose in the shoot- 

 ing line, the keeper is pretty certain to dispose of in 

 the end as he pleases ; for he has a voluble ' silver ' 

 tongue, and is full of objections, reasons, excuses, 

 suggestions, all delivered with a deprecatory air of 

 superior knowledge which he hardly likes to intrude 

 upon his betters, much as he would regret to see them 

 go wrong. So he really takes the lead, and in nine 

 cases in ten the^result proves he is right, as minute 

 local knowledge naturally must be when intelligently 

 applied. 



Not only in such matters as the best course for 

 the shooting party to follow, or in advice bearing 

 upon the preserves, but in concerns of a wider scope, 

 his influence is felt. A keen, shrewd judge of horse- 

 flesh — (how is it that if a man understands one 

 animal he seems to instinctively see through all ?) — 

 his master in a careless way often asks his opinion 

 before concluding a bargain. Of course the question 

 is not put direct, but ' By-the-by, when the hounds 

 were here you saw so-and-so's mare ; what do you 

 think of her ? ' The keeper blurts out his answer, not 

 always flattering or very delicately expressed ; and 

 his view is not forgotten. For when a trusted servant 

 like this accompanies his master often in solitary 



