AN M.F.H.—ANOTHER VARIETY. 83 



Scruton, who for one season ruled the destinies of the 

 Meadowmere. 



The hunt had gradually fallen into a bad way. Sir 

 Henry Akerton, their former — and happily their present 

 — Master, had given up the hounds and gone to the 

 South of France. So much jealousy and wrangling 

 followed attempts to find a successor that they tried a 

 committee of management, which, while it circumscribed 

 the limits of angry discussions, decidedly intensified 

 their vehemence ; the result being that we had very 

 little hunting, and that little was of a very unsatis- 

 factory sort. 



But the departure of one principal cause of discord, 

 and the death of another, smoothed matters to some 

 extent, and with a tolerable approach to unanimity it 

 was resolved to accept Scruton's offer to hunt three 

 days a week, with a guaranteed subscription, which he 

 undertook to supplement. 



Now those who knew Scruton best had grave doubts 

 about his doing anything for the good of the county, 

 unless in the first and foremost place it specially re- 

 dounded to the good of that peculiar portion of it in 

 which Scruton himself was interested. 



He was fond of hunting, and having a very com- 

 fortable little property, could well afford to gratify his 

 taste for sport. But he was no less fond of his money ; 

 and if he did not take the hounds in the hope of getting 

 his hunting for nothing, a serious injustice was done to 

 his character, for to this conclusion we speedily came. 



G 2 



