AWAY FROM SEAMER WOOD 33 



especially as I knew that Lord Feversham was a 

 really good man across country in his earlier days. 

 The result was I mumbled some meaningless common- 

 place, smiled as though it was a good joke, and passed 

 on feeling rather ashamed of myself than otherwise. 



This little incident had somewhat diverted my at- 

 tention for a while, when suddenly a whimper from the 

 cover it was Seamer Wood rapidly developing into 

 a burst of music, recalled me to myself, and my good 

 mare, Skittles, was all alert. She was one that I had 

 from Bob Colling, the father of Bob Colling of New- 

 market, and she was alleged to be a pure Cleveland 

 bay, but I could never quite believe that she had not 

 a cross of blood in her. Anyhow Bob Colling, the 

 elder a perfect horseman had made her into a wonder 

 at timber and cramped fences before she came into my 

 possession. 



An instant's glance showed me hounds bustling along, 

 straight through the wood, directly away from me, 

 while the rest of the field were scuttling round the 

 wood to the left, Jack Parker alone having taken the 

 right side, and thus being widely separated from 

 them. 



Hounds were hanging to the left, and it certainly 

 appeared that Jack must be out of it for once in a 

 way, but I decided in a moment to follow him and 

 chance it. Jack was fairly rolling about in his saddle 

 with chuckling and laughing, hounds all the time seem- 

 ing to be clean away in an opposite direction. I made 

 a hasty inquiry as to which way they should go. 



"You coom wi' me," said Jack; " Ar'll put ye right; 

 nean o' them other chaps'll get aboon half-a-mile." 

 And thereat he chuckled and laughed as before, evidently 



