CHAPTER II 



The Treaty of Paris and Death of the Prince Consort Malt 

 Liquor, Port, and Agricultural Work Mr Arrowsmith and 

 Squire Bell A Hustings Episode " Sammy ' Cass The 

 Great Mr Rhodes Tim Whiffler at Thirsk Thirsk Races 

 The Hunt Cup Martin Gurry wins on Catalogue Village 

 Idiots at Kilvington 



I HAVE told of my recollection of the death of the 

 Prince Consort, but I can go back a good deal 

 further than that, as in the case of Vatican recorded 

 in the Prologue. 



The Treaty of Paris, after the Crimean War, was signed 

 on 3oth March 1856. News did not travel quite so rapidly 

 then as now, but -whenever this news reached Yorkshire 

 I and the late Sir Charles Dodsworth, both of about the 

 same age, were digging in the sands at Redcar, and there 

 was suddenly much gun-firing at Hartlepool, in celebra- 

 tion of the peace. We thought it was the Russians 

 coming and fled to our respective nurses. 



I was a horribly nervous, delicate wretch in those 

 times, and probably owe much to this day to old Dr 

 Ryott, of Thirsk, who was quite a marvel for the " grand 

 manner " and much common-sense, though troubled with 

 no superfluity of science. " Give the boy plenty of good 

 malt liquor," he used to say, " and a glass of good Port 

 in the middle of the morning." 



His advice was followed scrupulously, both at home 

 and when I went to school. 



Another trusty friend who helped materially to build 

 me up was Tommy Wright, the landlord of the " Old 

 Oak Tree Inn " at Kilvington. He was one of my father's 

 best tenants, and held a good deal of the land. He was 

 one of the sort rarely met with now, a real expert in 



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