88 THE TEINITY FOOT BEAGLES 



The following yarns are also from C. J. Cropper. They both 

 involve " Gentleman " Hoppet, who was a great character, very tall 

 and thin, with a grey moustache, gold-rimmed folders on his nose, 

 and always dressed in a black coat and silk hat. I wonder if he 

 wore them when he walked out to see the hounds at Childerly gate ; 

 I can imagine him wearing no other. I have a tale of my own 

 concerning him which may as well be preserved here, though it has 

 nothing to do with beagling. 



An anxious inquirer, wishing to know whether anything could 

 perturb the great man's dignity, asked what he should do if the 

 College caught fire. " I should go into the middle of the court," said 

 he gravely, " and use my discretion." 



Letter 



Ellergreen, Kendal, 

 December 12, 1910. 



Dear Huntsman ^ — One more beagle story occurs to me. In the 

 early seventies Leake, now Chancellor of Lincoln Diocese, was parson 

 in Barnwell. He was a very good preacher, and one Sunday some of 

 our gang said we would go and hear him preach. This entailed 

 being marked in Hall, as no one might miss " Hall" on Sunday. We 

 all walked round by Hall and called to old Hoppet to mark us in. 

 He came up to me with a sly grin just showing. " What is it ? " he 

 said, '•' is it a bye day with the Beagles ? " 



You know the story (not a beagle one) of old Swell Hoppet, who, 

 in the Christmas vacation, one day walked out to a meet of the 

 Cambridgeshire at Childerly gate ? He got to the meet and walked 

 on to the cover they were to draw. He stood all alone by the cover 

 side, and presently a fox went away close by him. He saw it go, but 

 held his peace. Presently a Whip from afar saw the fox and came 

 screaming down the cover side to where Hoppet was standing. " Why 

 on earth didn't you holler ? " shouted the Whip. " I would if I'd 

 known," said Hoppet, " ])ut I thought it was a squirrel ! " 



' T. Holland Ilibbert, who is C. J. Cropper's nephew. 



