252 THE BEST OF THE FUN 



One of Dickens' men of the masses, was it not, who 

 cooled his parched palate by " rinsing his mouth with 

 fresh air " ? Such was our method in our present strait, 

 when this first check came — that little wee girl in the lane 

 having perhaps turned our fox down its dusty length ; and 

 Goodall could hunt him no further than Naseby Covert, 

 or its approximate vicinity. 



Wednesday Night, March 29. — As a fox returns to his 

 buried feast, as a peUcan brings back and enjoys his food 

 at his leisure, as a bovine chews the cud as he rests — so in 

 the pleasant dead of night, when the house has no sound 

 and the voice of interruption is at rest, is it the scribbler's 

 privilege to unlock the cupboard of memory. Its door 

 had probably closed with a snap, immediately its contents 

 were stored. Till this moment, I confess to having borne 

 in mind little but the outline of yesterday's doings, or of 

 those of the day before, still less of a week past. No 

 more, I wager, had yoit, after these hot, tiring days, and 

 consequently heavy, wearied nights. You were aware 

 you had been out and at work, and that you had been 

 enjoying yourselves hugely. And you were exceedingly 

 pleased this morning when assured that the horse of 

 yesterday, instead of being now a ten-pound cripple, as by 

 all laws of consequence and probability he should be, is 

 still in possession of four capable legs. As for remembering, 

 that faculty was swallowed in last night's soup ; and now 

 has to be exorcised afresh. This once achieved, all will be 

 back with you by to-morrow's morn. And as you, sirs, 

 stand, razor in hand, opposite those brown-red features, 

 you will make, as it were, a clean sweep of recent events. 

 One day out of the saddle will have brought you out 

 fresher than ever, longing only that these good things 

 could quickly come over again. And you, fair ladies, as 

 you sit to be brushed, opposite a reflection far more agree- 

 able to look upon (sunshine and its effects nathless) than 

 our rugged, world-riven features, do not you, too, think 

 more, dream more of the pleasant side of life (of hunting, 

 if you like) at toilet-hour than at any other ? It is so with 

 us, I assure you, save and excepting only at this chance 

 still hour of midnight, of which I have been speaking. 



