176 THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 



clay's performance, and what would be expected of him, 

 but in full confidence of kudos without risk, he sat himself 

 down and disposed of a very hearty meal. 



As the carriage would only hold four, the youngest Miss 

 Lumpkin was left at home, whilst Sir Toodle and Lady 

 Lumpkin and the two elder Misses Lumpkin crammed 

 themselves into the equipage. Travers's Eoman-nosed old 

 hunter was brought round, and Miss Lumpkin watched her 

 admirer rapturously, as he danced about on one foot in 

 wild efforts to mount the horse, which icould walk calmly 

 off at the wrong moment. At last, however, he succeeded 

 in getting into his saddle, and the whole procession managed 

 to make a start. 



Sir Toodle, not being a ' knowledgeable ' man in the 

 ways of horseflesh, iiad not thought to order Mr. Binkie's 

 horse to be brought round earlier than the carriage, so as 

 to enable him to hack on quietly to the meet. To him, a 

 horse was a horse — not a hunter — and if the carriage 

 animals could trot all the way, so could the hunter ; the 

 consequence of this being that Binkie arrived at the tryst 

 in a state of extreme heat, and mud, and discomfort, which 

 somewhat discomposed him, and also detracted considerably 

 from his personal appearance. Hounds had already cast 

 up, and most of the field also, when the Catchem Court 

 party came upon the scene. Two minutes later, the Duke 

 gave the word to move off, and away they went, Travers 

 still riding beside the Lumpkin carriage, 



Penelope Binkie had ridden out to meet Eonald this bright 

 morning, and was now almost at the head of the cavalcade, 

 trotting along with the young barrister, just in rear of Miss 



