Season 1878-79.] BOOT AND SADDLE. 249 



For the leading subject of the letter just emerging from the 

 ink-bottle — under date Thursday, October 24th — I must ask 

 leave to take you back to the previous Friday (18th) — the 

 Quorn at Lowesby Hall. To all appearance there was scarcely 

 a meet at all ; but as the morning crept on the company grew, 

 till by-and-by there must have been near upon two score of 

 hunting folk, at least a score more in attendance upon them, 

 and quite another score of horsemen representing absent 

 masters. Among the first-named section were — the Master 

 and Miss M. AVebster, Captain and Mrs. Candy, Captain and 

 Mrs. C. Chaplin, Captain and Miss Campbell, Sir Fred. Fowke, 

 Colonel Chippindall, Captains O'Neal, Barclay, and Good- 

 child, Messrs. Pennington, Barclay, Hill-Trevor, Flower, 

 Harter, Fowke, &c. 



The navvies have been very busy all summer close to John 

 o' Gaimt ; and Eeynard could surely not expect to be left 

 always idle in the immediate neighbourhood of so much in- 

 dustry. Still it is to be hoped that during the winter these 

 gentry may think well to obtain their needful recreation from 

 the Chase of the Fox, with all the accompaniments considered 

 orthodox under the system of Meynell, and with that end will 

 hold the little covert sacred for this special pursuit. John 

 o' Gaunt has not long to live, unless (more unlikely than the 

 lion and the lamb reclining side by side) it can continue to 

 exist with a railway junction at its very elbow. No ; Move 

 on ! Move on ! Our coverts are being pushed out, our green 

 pastures are narrowed by the March of ProgTess. Well, we 

 can shift the former, make the best of what remains of the 

 latter — and, please God, the good sport will last our time. 



The long-drawn note, as hounds were called out, told its 

 own story. But its story wasn't quite true for all that — if one 

 was to l^lieve holloa and asseveration in the road. Someone 

 had seen a fox. Someone else had seen two. And, though 

 neither could the witnesses be identified nor their statements 

 positively verified, an old hound after a while vouchsafed a 

 single note of endorsement — and there the rumour ended. 



