106 THE CREAM OF LEICESTERSHIRE. [Season 



We have taken the liberty of altering two small words of Mr. 

 Wordsworth's MS., but the poet's spiiit can scarcely deem it 

 an act of vandalism to give his muse a November instead of a 

 September turn. 



" Well," you ma}^ sa}', " tell us who was at the meet, and we 

 can.judge for ourselves if the ]Melton world is at home ! " But, 

 I would answer, to give a comi)lete list of names requu'es a 

 notebook ; and a man making notes in the hunting field would 

 be as much out of place as a money-lender in a mess room. 

 Let me, however, jot down a few from memory, beginning as 

 courtesy demands : Lady Evelyn Coventry, Mrs. Candy, Mrs. 

 ChapHn, Mrs. C. Chaplin, Mrs. Tempest, Miss Hartopp, Miss 

 Westenra, and one or two other ladies, Avere riding — and some 

 of them prepared to ride veiy hard too, in defiance of the un- 

 propitious state of the fences ; while there were several bright 

 carriagefuls to soften the miscellaneous ruggedness of the 

 Leicester caravans. Of the less loveable sex there were 

 captains many of merit and renown, to wit, Capts. Coventr}', 

 Farley, Bo3'ce, Atkinson, liiddell. Tempest, Candy, Barker, 

 King, Barclay, Stirling, Campbell, Fludyer, Leonard, &c. 

 Also Lord Helmsley, Messrs. Hartopp, Cliene}', Barcla}', 

 Major Paynter, Messrs. Brooks, W. and E. Chaplin, Paget, 

 i*v;c. (Lord and Lady Grey de Wilton did not take the field 

 till Wednesday; neither did the Messrs. Behrens, Capt. Smith, 

 and Mr. Delacour.) 



The chief point of incident at the meet was the presentation 

 of a very handsome horn to Mr. Coujiland by the earth-stoppers 

 of the hunt. It will be remembered that the same bodj'^ pre- 

 sented Mr. Musters with a whip on a like occasion, five seasons 

 ago — and no slight compliment may such an act be deemed. 

 Moreover, it is a most significant index of the existing state of 

 the countr3\ As on the former occasion, a speech in good 

 honest Leicestershire was delivered by a patriarchial earth- 

 stopper, and responded to by the Master. The former testified 

 to the kindly and gi'ateful feeling of their body towards Mr. 

 Coupland, and the latter replied that it was truly the jDroudest 



