A GOSSIP ON HUNTING MEN 357 



repeated them properly, and invariably gave him a shilling. 

 John, however, getting a hint that the young rascal imposed 

 upon the good-natured lady, hid himself in the room one 

 Sunday morning. As usual, young Buttons was called up 

 and requested to commence his religious exercise ; then, 

 with a perfectly solemn face, he began, " Hey diddle diddle, 

 the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon," 

 and so on, to the end of the old nursery rhyme. " There's 

 a good boy," said the old lady, putting into his hand a 

 shilling. But just as Master Hopeful was departing 

 jubilant, whack came the whip with which John had 

 provided himself, and the welting he got made him re- 

 member Collect and Catechism for many a day. 



Warde attained the patriarchal age of 85. Like all 

 sportsmen of the " golden time," he was a bon vivant, but 

 in his last days he had to give up wine. By a strange 

 irony of fate, he died of water on the chest. " This is a 

 pretty business," he said. " Here is a man dying of water 

 who never drank but one glassful of that nauseous liquid 

 in his life." 



Many years ago the younger son of a gentleman in the 

 North of England was foolish enough to fall in love with 

 one of his father's maid-servants, and quixotic enough to 

 marry her. As soon as the news came to the parental 

 ears, the imprudent Benedict was turned out of doors, his 

 only worldly possession being a Southern hound in pup. 

 He and his partner in disgrace started for London, and 

 after a while the young man succeeded in obtaining a 

 situation in an attorney's office at £60 a year. As time 

 went on, olive-branches gathered about him to the tune 

 of half a dozen, from which it may be supposed he had 

 enough to do to keep eight sets of teeth in work. Yet he 

 not only discharged these onerous domestic duties, but also 

 enjoyed his favourite sport, and kept a couple of horses 

 and two couples of hounds. 



But how, in the name of wonder, could he afford to keep 

 horses and hounds ? Of course he neglected his home and 

 business, and ended his days in the workhouse. Noth- 

 ing of the kind ! His wife and children were well fed and 

 comfortably clothed, he never ran into debt, and always 



