<tAn Jlpology to JUr. Surtees 



' 25 Curtain Crescent, 

 * Belgrave Square, London. 



' My own dearest William, — I was overjoyed, my own darling, 

 to receive your kind letter, and hear that you had arrived safe, and 

 found his Lordship so kind and agreeable. I thought you had 

 known him by sight, or I would have prevented your making the 

 mistake by describing him to you. However, there is no harm done. 

 In a general way, the great man of the place is oftentimes the least. — 

 The most accessible, that is to say. The Earl is an excellent, kind- 

 hearted man, and it will do you great good among your companions 

 to be known to be intimate with him, for I can assure you it is not 

 every one he takes up with. Of course, there are people who abuse 

 him, and say he is this and that, and so on ; but you must take 

 people — especially great ones — as you find them in this world ; and 

 he is quite as good as his whites of their eyes turning-up neighbours. 

 Don't, however, presume on his kindness by attempting to stay 

 beyond what he presses you to do, for two short visits tell better 

 than one long one, looking as though you had been approved of. 

 You can easily find out from the butler or the groom of the chambers, 

 or some of the upper servants, how long you are expected to stay, or 

 perhaps some of the guests can tell you how long they are invited for. 



' I had written thus far when your second welcome letter arrived^ 

 and I can't tell you how delighted I am to hear you are safe and 

 well, though I 'm sorry to hear you don't like hunting, for I assure 

 you it is the best of all possible sports, and there is none that admits 

 of such elegant variety of costume. 



' Look at a shooter — what a ragamuffin dress his is, hardly dis- 

 tinguishable from a keeper ; and yachters and cricketers might be 

 taken for ticket-of-leave men. I should be very sorry indeed if you 

 were not to persevere in your hunting ; for a red coat and leathers are 

 quite your become, and there is none, in my opinion, in which a 

 gentleman looks so well, or a snob so ill. Learning to hunt can't 

 be more disagreeable than learning to sail or smoke, and see how 

 many hundreds — thousands I may say — overcome the difficulty every 

 year, and blow their clouds, as they call them, on the quarterdeck^ 



C 33 



