THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 95 



" Yes, that's true. But somehow, your screws, rips, and 

 wretches manage to get you — or rather, i/oii manage to get 

 tJieni — over the country all right. Are they really all cheap 

 ones'?" said the Eector, bending forward confidentially. 



Eonald laughed. 



" I haven't paid a pony for any one of the three I've got 

 now," he said. 



" Well, then, you're a very wonderful man, that's all I can 

 say. When are you coming out again, Mr. Binkie ? " 



" Oh, really ! I haven't got a gee-gee, you know. I want 

 to buy one — a nice quiet one, you know." 



"One's no good to you. Go over to Fobbs, at Cutaway 

 Mount, and I daresay you'll find two or three that will 

 suit you. Mind you, I am not recommending the more or 

 less excellent Fobbs as a paragon of human perfection in 

 himself : you must keep your eyes open when you are dealing 

 with him. But he's just the man to find you three or four 

 real good hunters." 



"Is it really necessary, sir, to have so many as that, 

 now?" struck in Septimus. Although an extremely rich 

 man, Septimus Binkie, like a good many others who have 

 made their money themselves, liked to have a voice in the 

 spending of it. 



"Well, you certainly couldn't see much of hounds, in a 

 country like this, with less than half-a-dozen hunters." 



" Gorblessmysoulyoudon'tsayso ! " exclaimed the astonished 

 Binkie Senior, in one unpunctuated gasp. And after another 

 quarter of an hour's smoke, port, and desultory conversation, 

 a move was made, and they left to join the ladies in the 

 drawing-room. On the way there, Travers took the oppor- 



