A FIRST RAINY DAY. 521 



A FIRST RAINY DAY. 



NEVER even after a frost did I welcome a wetting so 

 heartily as on Tuesday last. The soft cool drops fell not only 

 on a thirsty land but on a glad spirit (mine only as sample of 

 many). The Master beamed ; the hunt-servants looked en- 

 tranced even the breakfastless amateurs shivered contentedly, 

 and made believe to smile. For the steady downpour meant 

 salvation, release, a new era. Fox-hunting, hitherto in a dry 

 dock, was to be launched on the waters. The transition was 

 rapid, but had its stages, even after the gathering of the clouds 

 for days past, the rumours of rain in north and south, and the 

 prophesied " depressions " whether of atmosphere or of liver 

 (the most sensitive of all barometers) the oracles forbore to 

 explain. We started for covert with the dust flying, and for 

 an hour gazed wonderingly at the black scud streaking the 

 heavens. A quarter of an hour later we were gratefully 

 drenched to the skin ; then the ground became so slippery 

 that horses could scarcely keep their feet; and before we 

 turned homewards the turf was apparently in fair riding order 

 or at least the surface-jar was gone, and the rattle had 

 ceased. How little impression had really been made, it was 

 easy to judge when one rode out for exercise next morning in 

 the sunshine. 



The North Warwickshire were again on their Dunchurch 

 side, for a first visit to Wilcox's Gorse. Foxes were in pro- 

 fusion. So they had little difficulty in getting hold of a cub in 

 the gorse, and another in Line's Spinney. 



And then we had a little hunt. Another fox bethought him- 

 self that the North Warwickshire country was worth clinging 

 to, even in preference to the Atherstone Woods of Coombe and 

 All-Oaks that bade him come over the waters of Avon. He 

 chose to climb the railway embankment to work inland ; 

 though, as with the Thames of to-day at Richmond, he might 

 almost have crossed the river-bed dry-padded. Now, I must 

 tell you, anything rather than wild adventure of riding was in 



