128 HORSES AND HOUNDS. 



satisfaction. There are many temptations thrown in their way, 

 and therefore, unless they have decision of character to resist 

 them, they will certainly fail. I once wrote to the famous John 

 Ward for tne character of a whipper-in who had left his service ; 

 his reply was in these words, and quite sufficient to satisfy 

 me: — 



"Dear Sir, — In reply to your letter, I beg to say, that if Jolin B n 



had been worth keeping I should not have parted with him. 



"Yours tridy, J. Waed." 



Whippers-in should be cleanly also, but not conceited. My 

 father once cured the conceit of his whipper-in, for a time, at 

 least, in a very summary way. Jack was a spruce lad, but had 

 rather too high an opinion of his good looks, and one fine 

 morning, having a new and dandy pair of top-boots on, he could 

 not keep his eyes oif them. The governor told him to mind 

 his business and not his new boots, or he would have them 

 blacked over, tops and all, the next day ; but it would not do. 

 Jack had never been fitted so nicely before, and he could not 

 help admiring them notwithstanding. The hounds were running 

 in covert ; Jack, galloping along on the outside with his legs 

 stretched out and head down, at a sudden turn came full tilt 

 against the governor, who was riding in the contrary direction, 

 and he would have unhorsed him, but my father, having caught 

 a glimpse of Jack coming along, had prepared for the charge, 

 and met him with such a facer from the double thong, that he 

 knocked Jack clean out of the saddle, and spoilt his good looks, 

 for that day at least. This cooled Jack's conceit for some time ; 

 but, being a good-looking youth, the ladies of our establishment 

 below stairs did their best to spoil him. 



Jack had also a rival, in the shape of a footman, who often 

 tried to frighten him with stories about ghosts. Our house, 

 being an old-fashioned structure, was of course haunted, as all 

 such places are supposed to be. One dark winter's night, 

 when Jack was doing up his horse after hunting, Mr. Thomas 



Eroposed to the fair ladies to try Jack's courage by exhibiting 

 imself as a ghost at the stable-door. He accordingly shrouded 

 himself in a long flowing robe, as those worn in the East, for 

 which purpose the tablecloth sufficed, and rubbing his face over 

 with phosphorus, sallied forth to frighten Jack into fits. 

 Arrived at the stable-door, the ghost commenced a low moaning. 

 Jack listened, but, as he told me afterwards, he could not make 

 out at first where it came from. " The wind," thought Jack— 

 another groan. "No, 'taint wind; 'tis one of the horses in 

 the other stable." Jack went to see, thinking he had got the 



