TETER PIGSKIN 149 



do now. The Duke drove his six richly-caparisoned liorses, 

 whose flaunting manes were entwined with a luxuriance of 

 ribbon, and whose long tails were protected from the mud by 

 midway gatherings of the same material. Peter was then 

 in the i^ush of youth. His plump, healthy cheeks glowed 

 rubicund beneath the powder of his well-pomatomed hair, 

 terminating behind his lace-daubed velvet cap in a knotty pig- 

 tail, the buttons and gold lace of his jacket almost concealed 

 the rich scarlet of the material, while his well-cleaned leathers 

 fit so tight and close as to cause astonishment to the beholders 

 how he ever got into them. The youthful Peter on the leaders 

 looked like the rosebud to his blooming father on the box, 

 radiant in all the magnificence of a three-cornered gold-laced 

 hat, projecting pig-tail, bottle-nose, ponderous back, and 

 stomach without end. 



When the Duke of Blazington died, he left Peter £20 

 a-year ; and when Peter's father died, which he did in the 

 most complimentary manner shortly after his grace, Peter got 

 what amounted to ;^20 a-year more. Our friend then married 

 the pretty head housemaid of Blazington Castle, and took the 

 neat little hostelry called the " Grapes," midway between 

 Plumley and Moss Side, so agreeably known to many of our 

 readers as the first stage on the road matrimonial. This sign 

 Peter shortly after changed into that of the " Fox and 

 Hounds," and prosperity attending way-side speculation in 

 those days, Peter soon found the weekly contents of his till 

 would justify him in buying a poster that would do a little 

 hunting occasionally. Peter used then to creep out on the 

 sly, breeched and gaitered, with a stick in his hand. Some- 

 how he always happened to have business in the neighbourhood 

 of where the hounds met — either a servant to hire, a horse to 

 look at, a pig to buy, corn to pay for, barley for malting to 

 bespeak, or something of that sort, and being there he would 

 just stay to see them " find." Just stay to see them find ! 



