<*An apology to 3Ir. Surtees 



to outlive most of his contemporaries. Mr. Jorrocks was 

 the fine flower of his imagination, and perhaps the Pom- 

 ponius Ego incident is one of the best illustrations of the 

 character of Mr. Jorrocks. 



* Handley Cross ' probably has more readers than any of 

 the other books. There is enough in it of different kinds 

 to satisfy every one. Those who like the orange-peel and 

 butter-slide sort of humour can revel in such incidents as 

 Pigg in the melon frame, or Mr. Jorrocks calling Benjamin 

 for hunting with the cold-water jug. For those who rejoice 

 in burlesque there are, as well as the Pomponius Ego day, 

 the several excursions of James Pigg and his master, Mr. 

 Jorrocks 's lectures, and the sale of Xerxes to Captain Doleful. 

 For the real lover of the Chase there is Michael Hardy's day 

 at the beginning of the book, one of the most fascinating 

 descriptions of a run in the whole of fiction. But the whole 

 spirit of ' Handley Cross ' is the spirit of adventure which led 

 the prosperous tea-dealer to become M.F.H. This same 

 spirit also animated Mr. Romford, and is mainly responsible 

 for the popularity of ^Mr. Romford's Hounds.' One has a 

 sneaking affection for Facey, in spite of the fact that he 

 was a rogue and a poacher, because he was really devoted 

 to Fox-hunting for its own sake. With another impostor, 

 in the person of Mr. Sponge, one can have no sympathy. 

 His one respectable accomplishment was his horsemanship. 

 Yet ^ Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour ' can be read with pleasure 

 by any one who has a sense of humour, and who likes to study 

 the manners and customs of the mid- Victorian epoch. The 



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