362 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



thousand would not purchase him," exclaimed Frank 

 Haby, who was within hearing of the trio. " He belongs 

 to Jemmy Tomlinson, a friend of mine, in Cheshire, and 

 he calls him The Pea." 



At the end of the run, however, which " Jemmy " was 

 there to see, one or two of the field who had not heard 

 the explanation given by our hero, and, mistaking his rider 

 for a yeoman, asked him to put a price on his horse. The 

 answer may be anticipated. 



We are now about to notice a great change in the 

 situation and circumstances of our hero. At the age of 

 thirty-six, he lost his excellent father, who died after a few 

 hours' illness, and before his son could reach him, although, 

 of course, sent for by express. To describe the scene of 

 affliction that Amstead Abbey presented on this melancholy 

 occasion, would be productive of no good to the generality 

 of my readers, and, perhaps, bring to the recollection of 

 some of them hours of similar distress. The blow to Lady 

 Charlotte was as severe as it was sudden, requiring all the 

 energies of her soul and body to enable her to withstand 

 its force ; but forasmuch as the weight of human sorrow, 

 like that of human power, is broken by being divided, 

 she was not entirely comfortless. Her two daughters, 

 although married, happened to be within easy reach of her 

 at the time ; and the presence of her son, of whom she 

 was justly proud, from the accounts she heard of him from 

 all quarters, was balm to her wounded spirit. And we 

 will produce a fact to show that she had not been 

 deceived in the representations of him, and that he was 

 worthy of being the representative of the excellent father 

 of whom he had been bereaved. On the day subsequent 

 to the funeral, which, in addition to his own dependants, 

 was attended by the carriages of all the neighbouring 

 families, and what told more for the virtues of the 

 deceased, by the bewailings of the poor of the neighbouring 

 villages, who had partaken of his fostering care and 

 charity to an unusual degree, she received from him the 

 following letter : 



" MY EVER DEAR MOTHER, I should be dead to the 

 common feelings of a man did I not sympathize acutely 

 with the painful situation in which you are at this 

 moment placed, and still more so to those of a son, if I did 

 not, to the utmost of my power, endeavour to mitigate the 



