84 The Hunting Countries of England. 



Quenby for tlie Coplow) — and we liave done witli the 

 grass country of the Quorn. 



Of the three alternative plans for hunting with the 

 Quorn^ we have hitherto considered only that of a 

 stud at MeltoUj and written only of that part of the 

 Quorn country of which Melton is the principal and 

 legitimate base. But from Leicester or Loughborough 

 you may be just as staunch a Quornite, and stick 

 even more closely to your colours — for you will not 

 have the same temptation or opportunity of leaving 

 them, to go elsewhere. Leicester will give you a 

 Thursday with Mr. Tailby (if you prefer it to a bye- 

 day with the pack in question) _, and an occasional 

 day with the Atherstone. From Loughborough you 

 may go out (if you think it good enough to abandon 

 the grass on Monday or Friday) with Lord Ferrers, 

 in the slip of country that has been lent him by the 

 Quorn. But from both towns you will in all proba- 

 bility attend all the four, or five, Quorn meets ; and 

 as few people, nowadays, go to either place with 

 horses for six days a week, you are most likely to 

 limit yourself altogether to the home pack. A quarter 

 of a century ago the Bell at Leicester was a great 

 resort of hunting-men. Lord Gardner, for instance, 

 made it his head quarters for years, and so did many 

 other leading Leicester shir e men . But Leicester in those 

 days was a small market town, knew nothing of cotton 

 hose, and had no chimneys higher than that of the 

 hotel. Now it is like a great ever-growing octopus — 

 stretching its brick and mortar limbs in every 

 direction and daily gathering more of the sacred soil 

 into its unhallowed grasp, while its black breath is 



