6o THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



Albrighton country for five seasons. His huntsman at 

 this time was John Crags, afterwards killed by a fall 

 from his horse, and his whippers-in were Edward 

 Bates, son of Sir Richard Puleston's huntsman, and 

 Richard Jones. During his Mastership he hunted five 

 days a week, and constantly rode fifty miles to covert. 



It is from the day of his first marriage that the decline 

 and fall of John Mytton, both in and out of the hunting- 

 field, must be dated. Miss Jones was only in her 

 eighteenth year when she married the Squire of Halston, 

 but she was a recognised beauty at Almack's. This, be 

 it remembered, was in the days of the Regency, when 

 ladies preferred the ball-room to the hunting-field, and 

 bestowed more favours upon a fop, like Beau Brummell, 

 than upon the best man who ever rode across Leicester- 

 shire. Yet Miss Jones understood the character of her 

 husband, and tried to reform him. What was Mytton's 

 character at this time ? Educated, owing to the insane 

 indulgence of a fond mother, amongst grooms and 

 gamekeepers, and surrounded by boon companions, 

 who only cared to ride his horses and drink his wine, 

 Mytton still retained the instincts of a gentleman in 

 regard to the lady whom he had made his wife. He 

 refused to introduce his boon companions to her. 

 Mr. Apperley writes : " The first Mrs. Mytton con- 

 ducted herself with coldness to her husband's old 

 friends and companions." The true version of the 

 story is that the first Mrs. Mytton did everything in her 

 power to save her husband from his old friends and 

 companions. Mr. Apperley further states that it was a 

 monomania of Mr. Mytton to keep his wife away from 



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