The Hunt Dinner 349 



" ' The Lord only knows/ was the melancholy answer. 



"'Are n't you going to look for your horse?' I asked 

 next, but still with no answer. 



" Ignoring the apparent absence of my patient's mind, I 

 hastened to inquire if he had had an enjoyable day's sport. 

 ' You certainly bear evidence,' said I, ' of having had a 

 glorious day.' 



" ' I never met such a beastly lot of blackguards in all 

 my life.' 



" ' Come, get into my waggon and tell me all about it,' I 

 said soothingly. 



" ' Well, to begin with,' said my friend, ' the Master 

 swore at me awfully. I was n't doing anything, either. 

 He rode up to me and said, " Why don't you hold hard 

 when I ask you ? " "Well, now, really," said I, " were you 

 talking to me ? My name is Bankclerk." And he 

 wheeled his horse about and rode away saying he had no 

 time to make me a set of brains. I thought when I heard 

 him yelling " Hold hard, there, Greyhorse," what a funny 

 name that was for a man. It seemed to make every one 

 laugh that heard it. The next ruffian to ride up to me 

 with another bucket of abuse was the huntsman. "What 



in are you hollering at ? " said he. " At the fox," 



said I ; "just saw him run back in the woods, there. I 

 thought you would be glad to know of it, and I hollered." 

 With that he ripped out a torrent of abuse. " What are 

 you doing here, anyway ? " he asked. 



" ' " My name is Bankclerk," said I. " Dr. N 



advised me to go hunting for my health." " He should 

 have given you rough-on-rats," said the huntsman. " Bank- 



