A FIRST RAINY DAY. 529 



The little field got together on the brow ; hounds hunted up 

 to another range of open earth ; and were then taken home. 

 It only remains to bid their new huntsman, Smith, success and 

 good fortune, and the talent to carry worthily the mantle of 

 Frank Beers. Of the latter's retirement I have said my few 

 words elsewhere ; and would fain be excused from again 

 dwelling on the subject here. It is one on which I feel 

 strongly and sadly. I will merely add that if ever huntsman 

 carried into his retirement sincere sympathy and affectionate 

 regard on the part of his field, it is so in the case of Frank 

 Beers. 



The return of warmth on Wednesday brought with it a 

 phenomenally sudden fall of the leaf. The ash-trees were 

 positively raining leaves ; oak and elm were divesting them- 

 selves more steadily but equally determinedly ; while the hedge- 

 thorn was dropping its garments as fast as it could. From 

 mouth to mouth one heard the expression pass, " The hedges 

 will no longer be blind." But, I submit, there is no special 

 subject for congratulation in that. On the contrary, when 

 horses can once see through their fences they are only too apt 

 occasionally to run through them, imagining them, especially 

 under the prompting of pace or incomplete condition, weaker 

 than they really are. Else why are steeplechase fences in- 

 variably thickened and blackened ? Leaves constitute no 

 strength in a hedge ; but horses, except Irish novices who 

 sometimes assume the erection to be a green bank, will 

 generally rise well over them. The ditches on the other hand 

 (it is no consolation to add) will be blind until Christmas up 

 to which period the crowd, more or less, is content to stay 

 away. No, give me leafy hedges and clean ditches, if such a 

 combination be possible. I see no advantage in leafless hedges 

 except that they allow one a chance of seeing what is on the 

 other side, a matter of more need nowadays than, well, when we 

 were all younger. 



And next week we begin, in the panoply of foxhunting and 

 the absorption of a daily pursuit, nay, of a life's occupation, of 



M M 



