HUNTING TOURS. 333 



CHAPTER XVII. 



THE NORTH WARWICKSHIRE COUNTRY AND 

 MR. BAKER'S HOUNDS. 



It is a favourable omen of the continuous 

 prosperity of foxhunting, with all the fashion- 

 able attractions and the gay blr.ndishinents of 

 Leamington and other places of aristocratic 

 renown, that the old baronial halls, once the 

 pride of our ancestors, are not deserted by 

 families who delight in the enjoyment of rural 

 life, with its most delectable accompaniments. 

 Nothing could have been more flattering than 

 the cordial hospitalities I received from the 

 commencement to the conclusion of ray visit 

 at Leamington : and the only regret I experi- 

 enced was the limited space of time at my 

 command not permitting me to accept one- 

 half of the invitations which were so cour- 

 teously presented. The social character with 

 which foxhunting is intimately connected 



