300 THE HUNTING FIELD 



objects to having our Colonel invited to dinner, insisting that 

 he is nothing but a great overgrown sponge, Mrs. Closefist will 

 retaliate that he is a man in the xery first society, a man who 

 visits everybody, a great man with the Scourcountr\- hounds, 

 and Codshead comes, if in the hunting season, of course in his 

 red coat. Women and mackerel are all for scarlet. 



But what a place Turleton must be when Codshead is its 

 great authority on hunting. He is the Nimrod of the place. 

 Somehow burgesses are seldom built for boots or saddles. 

 They sit their horses, as they do their stools, with firmness, 

 ease and grace — /.';//// t/uy begin to move, and then it"s all up 

 with them or rather all dozvti. Colonel Codshead returns thanks 

 for the toast, " Success to foxhunting," far oftenerthan he puts 

 the success of it io the proof. He is a slow, pompous, broken- 

 winded speaker — he looks like one. " Gentlemen,'" says he, 

 for it is the same thing over and over again ; " gentlemen," says 

 he, looking especial wise, " I beg to return you my best (gasp) 

 thanks for the (gasp) honour you have done me in drinking my 

 (gasp) health in connection with foxhunting (gasp). Gentle- 

 men, it is a (gasp) sport, gentlemen (gasp), peculiar to (gasp) 

 Britons, and dignified (gasp) with the (gasp) of the greatest 

 (gasp) men of the (gasp) day [applause]. I hope (gasp) I shall 

 never live (gasp) to see the (gasp) day when it will be (gasp) 

 other than (gasp) popular. It brings the (gasp) peer in connec- 

 tion with the (gasp) peasant, and binds all its (gasp) followers 

 up in social (gasp) harmony." 



But let us dismiss the great puffy porpoise, and talk about 

 something else. He will soon dismiss himself if they find a fox. 

 This day, however, is to qualify him to talk of hunting for the 

 summer. Alack-a-day ! talking of it will be the most any of us 

 can do for some time. However, never mind, we have had a 

 glorious season — wonderful and curious in weather, and cer- 

 tainly more than an average one in point of sport. \\'e hope 

 our readers have laid in a good stock of consolation for its 



