CAPTAIN SHABBYHOUNDE 265 



Time was when such phraseology was unknown ; but that was 

 before grooms drank champagne, or housemaids wore artificial 

 flowers and veils. The fact is, however, the whole system of 

 servitude is gone wrong ; but servants are not the onl}' parties 

 to blame for that misfortune. Simon Strutt called his master 

 "the honourable," because being the servant of a lord's son 

 reflected honour on himself. Had he been plain •' mister " he 

 would have called him "my boy," or " Milksop," or any other 

 term of familiarity. " Mr. Brown," or " Mrs. Green," we 

 mean to observe, is a before-your-face style of expression, 

 instead of the old one of " master " or " mistress." 



Now for the last shade of all that ends this strange eventful 

 story. 



Lambkin quickly made his appearance, looking all the 

 better for his feed of corn and entry into the stable. Even 

 Strutt, prejudiced as he was, could not but feel that he was a 

 nice-looking horse. 



Tom, the helper, sidled him up to where Mr. Strutt stood, 

 and with one hand at the bits, the other at the stirrup, and 

 the clean towel over the left shoulder, held Lambkin for the 

 great little man to mount. 



Mount he did, but ere his right foot gained the stirrup, 

 Lambkin, with one of those tremendous efforts, sent him flying 

 several yards, pitching him head foremost in the pit of old 

 Margery Daw, the Banbury cake woman's, stomach, who, 

 unfortunately for herself, was passing by at the time. 



What a hubbub was there ! How the women screamed ! 

 how the men stared ! Gilpin's celebrated ride to Edmonton 

 did not create greater sensation on that line of road than did 

 Simon Strutt's summerset. 



It was an uncommonly clean thing. 



The most provoking part of a "kick off" is, that nobody 

 can help laughing — great as their an.xiety may be, still the 

 laugh will out. That is very odd, for people do not laugh at 



