1881—82.] THE TILTON DAY OF 1881. 395 



and bright clean clothes, and one and all telling the tale they 

 illustrated so well. They hadn't believed in a run from the 

 Tilton Avcods. " Who was going to bucket up and down those 

 beastly hills ? " There had been a run : hounds had gone 

 clean away into tlie Quorn country ; and — who would have 

 thought it ? — they had been left behind ! 



Deeply though your correspondent had been pitying himself 

 overnight and through the morning, it was clear that here at 

 least were worse sufferers ; upon whom, in fact, he could 

 look with an eye of pity and impertinence of superior case — 

 declining altogether to be deemed one of their number, how- 

 ever illustrious and highly constituted the latter. Among 

 this body of noble gentlemen were such hard riders and good 



men to hounds as Messrs. . No, thanks, Mr. Printer, 



I prefer their friendly greetings even to gratifying your 

 curiosity. 



But scarcely had the dismal truth been duly impressed, with 

 all proper decorate, expletive, and attendant circumstance, as 

 each sufferer's case seemed to demand, than another bright 

 corps was seen to be advancing through the sunshine, froni 

 Owston Village. And soon, with beaming face, with splashed 

 and often i^lastered garment, the rest of the brotherhood rode 

 up, zvWi the hounds. It was no use for the unfortunates 

 awaiting them to afiect a temper and bearing akin to the 

 joviality of the new comers. The pretence sat badly on them ; 

 and they winced perceptibly, though as cheerfully as might be, 

 under the storm of jest and banter poured upon their luckless 

 and misguided heads. The others, jou may be sure, made 

 none the least of what they had seen ; but pare it doMH and 

 minimise it as much as the most disappointed detractor could 

 have wished, there must remain at least this much — that 

 hounds had run heartily up the valley by Tugby Bushes, then 

 past the back of Tilton Village to Lowesby, and to ground at 

 Carr Bridge (in the Quorn country and within a mile of Bag- 

 grave) in five-and-thirty minutes from the start. Their fox 

 was only just before them as he got to ground — indeed, during 



