258 THE HUNTING FIELD 



knowledge of arithmetic among the highly respectable trades- 

 men and " talented " men congregated at Cambridge, and at 

 the time of which we are speaking you might have drawn 

 Piccadilly and Oxford Street too, without finding a more 

 "knowing hand " than Simon Strutt. 



Of course, Strutt had now nothing to do with what he 

 called the " dirty work " of the stable. The stud had increased 

 to four, for which he had the second horseman, a regular 

 helper, and as many occasional ones as he chose to take ; 

 Strutt superintended. His valeting was onerous. He attended 

 to all his master's clothes, except his hunting and shooting 

 things, his morning boots and shoes, dirty trowsers and 

 gloves. Those he assigned to the second horseman. He gave 

 the linen out to wash, and counted it or not when it came 

 back as suited his convenience. Altogether, Strutt — we beg his 

 pardon. Mister Strutt — had a hard easy life of it — laboriously 

 idle. 



Strutt, we need not saj-, was desperately indignant when 

 his master informed him that he had bought the " sweetest 

 horse in the world," and when he mentioned the name of 

 Captain Shabbyhounde, his gill-less chops reddened like a 

 turkey-cock's thropple at the sight of a scarlet coat. He did 

 not like captains in general, or the name of Captain Shabby- 

 hounde in particular. Our readers may suppose how much he 

 was disconcerted, when he committed himself by writing the 

 following letters : — 



" George Inn, Northampton. 

 "Sir, — Understanding the Honourable Mr. Milksop has been looking 

 at a horse of yours, i shall be glad to kno when it will suite you for me to 

 com over and e.xamine him and so on, yours to command, 



'• Simon- Strutt, Stud Groom. 

 " To Captain .Shabbyhounde, Market Harborough." 



The (Captain replied as follows : — 



"Sir, — Your master has bought my horse, and he only remains in my 



