THE SQUIRE 199 



benign influence of wine and hilarit}' swear eternal attachment 

 to the sport that has formed the staple of the evening's 

 conversation. 



Then contrast the early activity of the hunting morning with 

 the sluggish inertness of the mere " house full of company," 

 with nothing to do. Gaitered Grooms, and abortions of lads, 

 not abortions in buttons, but abortions in boots, will be seen 

 hurrying about getting ready for the start, while breakfast, 

 instead of being forced as far into the morning as possible, so as 

 to take a good cut out of the day, will be rung for at the very 

 moment it is ordered, and woe betide the cook if it is not 

 ready. How lively the red coats make the table look, and how 

 each man's eye beams with pleasure as entering the breakfast- 

 room he casts his eye on the assembled party. The very 

 servants seem to partake of the general enthusiasm, and bustle 

 about with unusual activity. 



Suppose the meet takes place in the park, then breakfast is 

 laid for the " million." 



" Show meets," as they are called, are not generally popular 

 with sportsmen, and perhaps deservedly not, but the ladies like 

 them, and they tend to keep up the spirit of hunting. After all 

 is said and done, they are harmless things ; a quarter of an 

 hour consumed in liquoring the men and parading the hounds, 

 and another quarter in running the latter through the 

 evergreens, under pretence of drawing for a fox, is all the 

 mischief they do, and the man who does not like "make 

 believes " has nothing to do but come half an hour late. 



Hunt breakfasts are capable of complimentary application, 

 or otherwise, and require some tact in their management. It 

 is clearly a compliment for a gentleman to invite a stranger 

 into his house ; it is a compliment to the man and a compli- 

 ment to the sport, inasmuch as it shows that he thinks none 

 but gentlemen partake of it. It is also a compliment to invite 

 a general acquaintance, with whom he may not be in the habit 



