292 THE COMPLETE SPORTSMAN 



crammers who in turn undertook to enable him 

 to pass the qualifying examination for a cavalry 

 commission bore testimony to his moral recti- 

 tude. As a soldier he displayed a most scrupu- 

 lous sense of honour, paying his mess-bill with 

 admirable regularity, and sending his cheque 

 every Monday without fail during the racing 

 season to the various Turf Accountants whom 

 he patronized so loyally. And when, at the age 

 of thirty, under the burden of advancing years, 

 he resigned his commission on hearing that 

 v/ar had broken out in South Africa, his escut- 

 cheon was still untarnished, his conscience free 

 from stain. 



In the House of Commons my uncle was 

 rightly regarded as one of those strong silent 

 men who, while they take no active part in 

 debate, are always ready to make their way into 

 whichever of the two division lobbies is indicated 

 by their party whips, and thus save the Empire 

 from the machinations of unscrupulous political 

 antagonists. When, therefore, on that memor- 

 able Monday evening at the close of a long 

 Parliamentary Session the defeat of the Govern- 

 ment was threatened by a well - organized 

 " snap " division, it came as a shock to all 

 earnest patriots that Sir Theodore should be 

 the man to avert so desirable a catastrophe by 

 voting against his own party, and thus enable 



