32 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



already stated, light blue with white buttons. 

 Finding them apt to get worn out before the coat, 

 my father had a set of silver ones made. When 

 one of these coats had become unfit for his wear 

 he gave it to a servant, forgetting the buttons 

 were silver : the man sold it to a Jew, supposing 

 the buttons to be ordinary ones. Moses soon 

 found this out, cut them off, and brought them 

 back for sale, which of course he had a right to 

 do, having purchased the lot fairly as it was. The 

 man acquainted his master of the circumstance, 

 expecting he would take the buttons at the price 

 they were offered ; but my father, with his usual 

 right feeling, said, " As I gave you the coat as it 

 was, I have no more right to the buttons than you 

 have ; if you can make a good bargain with the 

 Jew, put it in your own pocket." The buttons 

 being worth no more than their weight in silver, 

 the man bought them and put them on a private 

 coat of his own. The poor fellow shortly after- 

 w^ards died in our house, left a little money and 

 his clothes to a relation; but on his death-bed 

 begged of my father, " if he thought his services 

 had been faithful enough to merit such a distinc- 

 tion, that he would wear these buttons on his 

 next hunting coat." I need scarcely say he did 

 so, and wore them on every hunting coat he used 

 afterwards, and he wore one at seventy-six years 

 of age. 



