MASTERSHIP OF STAGHOUNDS 233 



fitting saddles carry corresponding advantages all 

 round. You seldom now see Mr. A. off his horse in 

 a muddy lane doing his frenzied best to make Mrs. B. 

 and her favourite more comfortable. Safety habits and 

 safety stirrups have reduced accidents to a minimum. 

 To save the life of a lady dragged head downwards 

 through a turnip-field is an opportunity which comes 

 but rarely now. Some years ago a lady relative of 

 mine, on finding herself in this predicament, tried 

 to free herself from her flowing habit and imposing 

 pommel by clutching at the turnips as she passed. 

 At last one especially stanch swede achieved the object 

 desired. 



Hunting-ladies drop into two classes, marked by 

 distinctive psychological and physical differences. 

 There is what I would call the " industrious apprentice " 

 hunting lady. She knows all about stable manage- 

 ment and the price of forage, identifies a vixen with the 

 tail of her eye, may be followed with confidence in a 

 big wood, rides to the meet, knows the bridle-roads, 

 and three or four times a season spends a Sunday 

 afternoon on the flags. The other I will call the 

 " lotus-eater." She will ride nothing but the best ; 

 likes long-tailed horses with plaited manes ; drives in 

 a brougham, or an American trotter, to the meet, 

 rides home at an inspiring canter on a fresh horse kept 

 out for the purpose, and devotes her evening to the 

 care of her complexion, the repose of her person, a 

 Paquin tea-gown and the infatuation of an admirer. 



