i86 FOX-HUNTING FROM SHIRE TO SHIRE 



alert and ready in speech, with an admirable sense 

 of humour, which provoked rounds of applause. 

 He said, that " he responded with the greatest diffi- 

 dence in the presence of Mr Henry Chaplin and 

 others, who were more accustomed to public speak- 

 ing, for he (Lord Willoughby) happened to belong 

 to a branch of the legislature which did all the work, 

 leaving the talking to the House of Commons. 

 With regard to the judges' task that day, he could 

 assure them that from the time Paris was asked to 

 award the golden apple to the three graces, he did 

 not think any judges had been in a position of 

 greater difficulty than they had been, trying to 

 adjudicate upon the merits of the beautiful ' ladies ' 

 of Lord Lonsdale's remarkable entry." The popular 

 master of the Cottesmore brought down the house 

 with a racy rejoinder when thanking the judges, 

 adding that knowing his noble friend of the House 

 of Lords so well, he anticipated the verdict, 

 which had worked out exactly as he thought it 

 would, with Rosey first. Saucy second, and Demure 

 awarded only reserve number ! But the fun of 

 the toast list did not end there, for a successful 

 puppy walker, after confessing that " he was no 

 speaker, but a demon for 'ard work and 'untin', a 

 smallholder and therefore never short of employ- 

 ment," went on to say, " It gave him great pleasure 

 to walk a foxhound puppy with a good appetite, 

 because they always did well. If you multiply the 

 appetite of three sheep and two ducks by two ; you 

 can arrive at the appetite of a foxhound puppy fit 

 to win a prize." 



The company then rose, and made a tour of 

 inspection round the Barleythorpe stables occupied 

 by seventy hunters, the majority being long-tailed 

 chestnuts of a thoroughbred type. 



