OCTOBER BEFORE THE WIRE. 39 



swayed a good deal by fashion ; and, like beauty entering a 

 ball-room, prefer to appear rather after than before their 

 acquaintances. Well, the country is terribly blind ; already 

 fences have to be jumped and, without daring to proffer 

 ungracious advice, I would yet remind them that more than one 

 Insurance Company provides liberally against hunting acci- 

 dents ; also that one of the great charms of October lies in 

 the fact that everybody does not come. If they did, it would be 

 altogether impossible for us and them to get over the country 

 at all and the delight of uncrowded gateways would at once be 

 lost. 



The grass was surely never so long, so thick and universal as 

 now. It has beat the bullocks everywhere ; where the scythe 

 has been at work, the edishes have sprung up again to mowing 

 height : and the fences are half smothered in it. The farmers 

 have at last had a good summer and even venture to own it ; 

 stipulating, however, in many instances the want of funds pre- 

 vented their making full use of their opportunity. But they all 

 look much more cheerful ; speak hopefully and encouragingly on 

 the subject of fox-hunting ; and many who have lately been 

 absent from the covert side will be able once more to take the 

 place there to which they have so strong and honest a right. 



If Melton Mowbray is to be the centre of fashion and the 

 metropolis of the Chase if even it is to pay its way its patrons 

 must show themselves as soon as possible. No one appears yet 

 to have declared himself coming ; none of the houses that pass 

 from hand to hand by the season have yet been taken, and the 

 hotel keepers have not had a nibble. The church bells are 

 chiming Home, Sweet Home day and night, and The Butcher in 

 blue is ready to kill his fatted calf or turn a somersault over 

 any stile strong enough for the job. But no one comes ; and 

 even the blithesome printer of cards of the meets has a haunted 

 hungry look. It cannot be said nowadays that Melton is not 

 accessible. It has railways to it from every direction, and four 

 different routes to London while, for fear it should lose touch 

 of Leicester, the Great Northern last week opened a new con- 



