BEATING THE SPRINGS AND THE WOOD. 1^5 



u Discipline, sir, must be maintained at the 

 6 Wisp/ No sluggards allowed on the pre- 

 mises. Your host has been up this hour, has 

 seen to the dogs, ascertained the thickness of 

 the ice in the tank (here Staunton shuddered, 

 and snuggled himself further into his bed- 

 clothes), and has settled that we must alter our 

 route, in consequence of the hard black 

 frost." 



When I retired, I heard a sigh of resigna- 

 tion, a sudden splash, and an involuntary yell 

 and splutter from the room, and in twenty 

 minutes, Staunton was with us in the break- 

 fast parlour, looking rosy and fresh for a Lon- 

 doner. 



There is a bright turf fire in the parlour ; a 

 pointer is lying on the rug before it, and appears 

 to understand that Joe is about to consign him 

 to his kennel again, for it would be simply 

 cruelty to bring him into the field this weather. 

 His companion, a thickly-furnished brown- 

 coated retriever, will have his work cut out 

 for him, and is taking pieces of hard biscuit 

 sopped in milk from the hand of my uncle. 



March is the word is the word now, march 



