THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 217 



making known to each of his benefactors the affair of the 

 fillies, and the result of their racing career, appending 

 thereunto a promise that, until he was in circumstances 

 better suited to the pursuit, he had taken his leave of 

 racing. But how did the uncle relish this outbreak of our 

 young sportsman, and the somewhat clandestine spirit in 

 which it had been carried on ? The fact is, he was so 

 much pleased with the subsequent ingenuous deportment 

 of his dearly-beloved Frank, when detailing the various 

 circumstances as they occurred and related to himself, as 

 the sufferer ; and more especially so with the small share 

 of vituperation bestowed by him on the scoundrel who had 

 handled him so mercilessly, that he merely made use of 

 this short expression : 



" Well, Frank, let all this be forgotten ; you were in a 

 serious scrape, which, no doubt, will be a warning to you, 

 and you got out of it much better than might have been 

 expected." 



The Baronet and his young friend having passed the even- 

 ing of this day together, the former took an opportunity 

 of expressing himself nearly in the following words : 



"If you will follow my advice, Frank, I should 

 recommend you to abandon your present purpose of 

 visiting Melton Mowbray next season, and I know a 

 man who will take the stables you have engaged off your 

 hands. I do this from a regard to your comfort and good 

 name, being convinced, from experience, which is our 

 best preceptor, after all, in matters of this kind, that your 

 present income is not equal to the expenses of such an 

 establishment as you would require at that place. You 

 would not like to be in the background among your 

 compeers, and nothing under a stud of ten efficient hunters 

 would keep you in the same rank with them. Six good 

 ones will be enough in almost all other countries but 

 Leicestershire ; and, were I in your place, I would content 

 myself, for a few years, with what the Melton men call 

 ' the provincials,' making an annual visit to Melton at 

 the conclusion of the season, if you like it, when the 

 ploughed countries get dry, and the sport they show, 

 consequently, becomes rare. I would recommend you to 

 the following packs : to those of the Duke of Beaufort 

 and Sir Thomas Mostyn, in Oxfordshire ; to that of Mr. 

 Corbet, in Warwickshire ; of Mr. Musters, in Nottingham- 

 shire ; of Lord Darlington and Mr. Ralph Lambton, in 



