THE GROOINI 141 



wet litter with dry straw, as is too often done by lazy, hiding, 

 hurrying fellows, they dry the wet straw in the air during the 

 day, and it comes again nearly as good as ever at night. 



But here come the first flight of Grooms, with all the 

 important top-boot bustle that proclaims the coming scarlets. 

 See how they steal along at that " within-themselves sort of 

 pace" peculiar to hunters. Let us step aside under the lea 

 of this old barn, and scan them as they gain the field. 



First, comes Timothy Jones, Paul Poplin's young man, all 

 louped up in gold, with his mare in a white lather, and her 

 mouth nearly deadened with the hauling of Tim's heavy hand. 

 Tim and his master are recruits of the season, the master 

 knowing as much of hunting as the man-boy does of horses. 

 That hat, with the gold threads binding the oval sides to the 

 gilt acorn on the crown, is a contrivance of Paul and his 

 sisters, the idea being taken from the Marquis of Dazzleton's 

 footman. Tim's Groom's footman's coat, with the red and 

 blue worsted shoulder knot, and patches of gold lace on the 

 collar and cuffs, would disgrace anything but the rumble of a 

 pony phaeton, and his red-seamed blue trousers and bluchers 

 seem lost for want of the red string of the Italian greyhound. 

 We don't know that we ever saw such an apology for a Groom 

 in our lives, and how Tim will have the face to present that 

 well-lathered mare to his master baffles our comprehension. 

 Poor weak, washy thing ! She has done her day's work 

 already, and another such ride will finish Tim's military-look- 

 ing overalls. She has been the laughing-stock of all the 

 knowing ones in coming along. 



This great woman-thighed, bull-headed, bloated, porpoise- 

 looking fellow, with his beastly calves bagging over his lack- 

 lustre, mis-shapen, painted top-boots, is Mr. Spavin, the 

 horse-dealer's man, with a well-shaped screw for sale under 

 him. At first glance j-ou would think the fellow was a fool, 



