86 SKETCHES IN THE HUNTING FIELD. 



pictures you see, you know. Red coats, top-boots, knee- 

 breeches, and caps. They sing a chorus — * Yoicks ! 

 tally-ho ! ' and that sort of thing — capital good chorus," 

 his friend replied. 



Scruton's hopes revived. These things would do, no 

 doubt, and before he returned home he commissioned 

 his friend to buy four of the complete suits if he could 

 get them under ten pounds. 



Here was one difficulty solved, for tailors are so 

 cruelly expensive ; and on the afternoon of the day of 

 sale a telegram came down from London : — " Had to 

 take the whole lot. Sixteen suits ; but only gave fifteen 

 pounds. Coming down by train to-night." 



Sixteen suits were no good ; but, on the other hand, 

 they were marvellously cheap, if anything like up to the 

 mark ; and, having seen the admirable manner in which 

 things were done on the London stage, of this Scruton 

 had no doubt. 



Next morning a huge bundle was delivered together 

 with a letter. He opened the former first. There were 

 the coats, the breeches, and — what were these other 

 square surfaces of something like leather ? Scruton 

 turned to the letter. " I hope you have received the 

 hunting things all right, and that you like them. The 

 breeches are rather thin, but I dare say that doesn't 

 matter ; when you are tally-hoing 'cross country, you 

 keep yourselves pretty warm, I expect. The 'boots' 

 are not boots precisely, as you will see. The chorus 

 fasten these things — sort of leggings — round their legs, 



