THE HAUGHTYSHIRE HUNT. 179 



of any sort ; he had made up his mind to that. But alas ! 

 * man proposes,' etc. 



" I'm going to sacrifice my own sport to-day, for the pleasure 

 of being near you !" he whispered, bending down, and striking 

 his nose on the handle of his awkwardly held crop as he did 

 so. "After all, you know," he continued loftily, "it don't 



really mat " but just at that precise moment. Sir Toodle, 



who had been gazing amiably through his spectacles down 

 the road during this colloquy, suddenly rose up excitedly 

 in the carriage, and treading hard upon Lady Lumpkin's 

 toes, called out — 



" Er — ah — excuse me — but er — ah — tally ho ! " and drawing 

 a gaily-coloured bandana from his pocket, he waved it airily 

 about, scattering a perfect cloud of tobacco-dust over the 

 occupants of the barouche, and starting them all off in 

 violent paroxysms of sneezing. For Sir Toodle had actually 

 seen a fox come quietly out of covert, drop himself gently 

 down the bank into the lane, and steal away across 

 the road. A minute or two later, and the voice of the 

 Huntsman was heard from the wood, a confused chorus 

 of ' yaps ' and ' tow-yows ' from the pack, and then, one 

 after another, hounds emerged from the covert, scrambled 

 down the bank into the lane below, puzzled a few moments 

 over the line, and then crossed the road into the little 

 spinney beyond, where scent lay richly ; and, no longer in 

 any doubt, they threw their tongues with a hearty goodwill 

 that must have struck terror into bold Eeynard, travelling 

 such a very little way in front of them. 



Then ensued a regular scramble for the gateway into the 

 lane. "Do get on, there." "Now then, sir, do you suppose 



N 2 



