THE DUKE AS MASTER 



" Grand Hotel, Paris, 



" December 1 8//z, 1 864. 

 " Cooper, — 



" The run from Coston Gorse must have been very good 

 and over such a fine country. I wish you had had more 

 hounds. I am very sorry about poor Wildboy, but it was 

 one of those things which cannot be helped, and it is satisfac- 

 tory that it was in such a good run. 



" I hear there [were] very few in at the death. I am sorry 

 to hear of Frank, but I hope, excepting the teeth, he was not 

 seriously injured. I return to London on Thursday. 



" I remain, yours, etc., 



" Rutland. 



" There has been a sharp frost here, but it is thawing 

 now." 



As the letter is dated December iSth, this run cannot have 

 been the memorable gallop from Coston, for that took place 

 a month later from the covert which was the scene of the 

 dastardly action of the man who shot the fox before hounds, a 

 full account of which is given in Mr. Sloane Stanley's chapter. 



It is not unsatisfactory to learn that the culprit was sent to 

 Coventry by his neighbours. Wildboy, whose death took 

 place on the railway,^ was a valuable hound by Trusty, out of 

 Trinket, the former being by Mr. Folljambe's Forester. 



The following letters show the varying fortunes of Coston 

 Gorse, which was now free from poison, and Cooper is con- 

 gratulated by the Duke and by Lord and Lady Forester on 

 the excellent sport seen from that covert. Lady Forester 

 {nee Countess Alexandra von Maltzan) had taken kindly to 

 the sport of her adopted country, and took great interest in 

 the pack, as the accompanying letter shows. She evidently 

 made friends among the hounds, and Raglan, son of Rally- 

 wood, which had evidently been returned to the kennel for 

 Cooper's treatment — possibly the luxuries of Knipton Lodge 

 had not agreed with him — was her especial favourite and 

 companion. 



^ Vide p. 270. 



259 



