124 THE HUNTING FIELD 



for it is hardly possible for a fellow who goes slouching and 

 muttering away to obey an order to be called " willing." A 

 man may never absolutely refuse to do a thing, nor ever 

 neglect to do it, and yet be a most unpleasant and unwiUing 

 servant — one that we would rather do a thing ourselves than 

 give an order to. 



It is related that one of the Dukes of Bedford used to 

 declare that he was never so happy as when he awoke in a 

 morning on a journey and found himself in a chintz bed, 

 instead of the stateliness of Woburn ; and we, in our humble 

 meditative rambles, often think, as the opening door of some 

 great house discloses the bedizened and bepowdered retinue 

 of servants, what misery, what hardship it would be to have 

 them calling us " master." We, who direct the energies of 

 willing and industrious hands, shudder at the thoughts of 

 ruling a handful of idle, overfed lackeys. " What can they 

 be all kept for ? " we sometimes think. Surely all the owners 

 of these great houses cannot be like the unfortunate Miss 

 Biffin, born without arms or legs, and incapable of doing 

 anything for themselves. And then a thought strikes us that 

 these are the necessary concomitants of wealth and station, 

 and hurrying on we thank our stars that we were not born 

 with a " sideboard of plate in our mouths," as Dickens 

 would say. 



" The servants are the gentlemen of England," says Sam 

 Slick. "Next to bein the duke," writes he, "I'd sooner be 

 groom to a gentleman that sports a four-in-hand than any- 

 thing I know of to England : four spankin, sneezing, bosses 

 that knows how to pick up miles and throw em behind em in 

 style — g'long you skunks, and turn out your toes pretty — 

 whist — that's the ticket — streak it off like iled lightning, my 

 fox tails ; skrew it up tight, lock down the safety valve, and 

 clap all steam on my busters ; don't touch the ground, skim it 

 like hawks, and leave no trail ; go ahead handsum, my old 



