72 THE SPORTING AVORLD. 



possibly a bad fox-bunting country. I should 

 have felt the same, but should not haA^e gone 



so far as to d n the beagles, or have felt 



the keeping them irksome, if the property 

 enabled me to follow my inclinations, where and 

 how I pleased. 



But time sobers us all down. Some earlier, 

 others at a later period of life; probably, our 

 squire, whom we will set down as being forty- 

 five or fifty, had found that eight hunters and 

 eight children, somehow or other clashed, and 

 as he was compelled by duty, and we will 

 suppose by inclination, to provide for these " olive 

 brancbes," and we are led to suppose he must 

 be extremely happy, having *' his quiver full of 

 them," and the provision for the hunters being 

 optional, he gave them up, and for the last 

 ten years had stuck to his harriers, had forgotten, 

 or at least had learned to look on mxCtropolitau 

 counties and the contingent expenses incurred 

 there, as matters though highly to be en- 



