1874—75.] THE WEEK OF THE SEASON. 149 



pride in seeing Leicestershire so ridden over as it had heen in 

 one week, viz., b}- Miss Hartopp in the Tilton run of Tuesday, 

 by Mrs. Molyneux in the event in question, and by Lady 

 Evelyn Coventry on Saturday last. In each case there was 

 the quiet, unassuming saroir /aire that in no circumstance of 

 life can we of coarser mould pretend to, and yet in each case 

 there was an underlying of determination and a genuine love 

 of the sport, that carried them successfully through every 

 difficulty. 



A momentary hesitation after the chasm had been crossed 

 allowed time for opening the gates across the Twyford road, 

 before reaching the lucky bridge that here spanned the Twyford 

 brook — hounds again taking up the thread in earnest, and 

 keeping it unrelaxed for some miles to come. INIr. Tomkinson 

 did nothing towards lowering the top bar of the four rails that 

 attempted to bar further progress, though some follower kindly 

 rendered them a degree or two easier. The old Twyford grass 

 country is too well known to descant upon ; so it is needless 

 to mention how scent, as usual, lay upon it, or how each 

 obstacle seemed to take quite as much jumping as the one 

 before. But they do put their fences very close together round 

 the village ; and apparently build them expressly with a view 

 to turning old hunters out to grass. However the last-named 

 gentleman (though his horse was labouring under the dis- 

 advantage of having alread}', early in the day, spent a quarter 

 of an hour in a ditch) and Captain Smith, assisted by Tom 

 Firr, successfully and continuously demonstrated that the 

 strength of a hedge is only that of its weakest point ; and, fast 

 as hounds went, they were well accompanied np to the Lowesby 

 Plantations. Thence on by the right of the park and along 

 the valley towards Baggrave — two foxes now m front, and the 

 fresh one taldng up attention just when they ought to have 

 been killing their fu-st — and Avhen horses were rapidly losing 

 that elasticity which, after all, is almost the chief i)leasure of 

 a gallop to hounds. On the whole, perhaps, the change was 

 a fortunate one ; for the Master meant not to spoil the Baggrave 



