OPENING DAY OF SEASON 353 



whimper which tells that a fox is not far off ; at 

 the corner the whipper-in has viewed him away ; 

 a few sharp staccato notes of the huntsman's horn ; 

 the thunder of galloping horses ; the crash of the 

 first fence, and the splash of water from the wide 

 drain at the far side ; a loose horse or two, and 

 the season has fairly begun. That my readers 

 may look back upon it with satisfaction and 

 pleasure when the pining winds of spring and the 

 hedged-up gap tell us that it draws to a close is 

 my earnest wish. 



2 A 



