134 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



rowlin' about in ye're saddle for all the wiirruld 

 like an infanthry major on horseback." 



Poor old John Meade, he used to hide me in 

 the oats bin when nurse in her black dress and 

 black cap with violet ribbons came flying out to 

 put me to bed. 



" No, nurse, I do not see her. She was here 

 this minnit. Hid she is somewhere, maybe. Hid. 

 Childther is all alike, the craythurs." 



Old nurse off round the yard, she never found 

 out our delinquencies, and John Meade releasing 

 me to step into the house. 



I can only barely remember this old servant, 

 but I know he used to call my father Masther 

 Johnny, and tell him to be ** aisy, Masther Johnny, 

 aisy," if he was fussed by his master. " Children 

 and chickens is always pickin'," was another 

 expression of his. 



We had no one particularly amusing after that 

 until a really genuine Handy Andy parlourmaid, 

 caught wild somewhere and foisted upon us here. 

 We had champagne for dinner one night and Kate, 

 having been given a bucket with ice in it, was 

 discovered wrestling with the wire to pour the 

 champagne into the tub. 



" And ye afther tellin' me to put it in the ice," 

 she said indignantly. 



My mother told her to hand sherry round at 

 soup time, which she apparently did, but the 



