Tips. 19 



his back — without a word, mind — and you had to take 

 what was in it, and never touch your hat or so much 

 as " Thank you, sir." It were always a five-pound 

 note if the shooting had been good ; but it never 

 seemed to come so sweet as if he'd done it to your 

 face.' 



The keeper gets a goodly number of tips in the 

 course of the year, from visitors at the great house, 

 from naturalists who come now and then, from the 

 sportsmen, and regularly from the masters of three 

 packs of hounds ; not to mention odd moneys at 

 intervals in various ways, as when he goes round to 

 deliver presents of game to the chief tenants on the 

 estate or to the owner's private friends. Gentlemen 

 who take an interest in such things come out every 

 spring to see the young broods of pheasants — which, 

 indeed, are a pretty sight — and they always leave 

 something behind them. In the summer a few picnic 

 parties come from the town or the country round 

 about, having permission to enter the grounds. In the 

 winter half a dozen young gentlemen have a turn at 

 the ferreting ; a great burrow is chosen, three or four 

 ferrets put in at once without any nets, so that the 

 rabbits may bolt freely, and then the shooting is like 

 volleys of musketry fire. For sport like this the young 

 gentlemen tip freely. After the rook-shooting party 



