EXPENSES 305 



extravagance, would amount to £1000, I do not 

 think the estimate excessive. Some people spend 

 a great deal more, but, on the other hand, many 

 undoubtedly spend less. The actual expenses of 

 hunting proper have, however, little to do with the 

 large expenditure, though, unless for special reasons, 

 be it always remembered, no one would pick out 

 the Midlands for experiments in economy in sport. 



To those who live in the grass countries more or 

 less all the year hunting is not much more expensive 

 than elsewhere. The higher rates of subscription, as 

 we have seen, make the sport more costly in the neigh- 

 bourhoods of Melton and Market Harborough, and of 

 course the horse required is much dearer to buy. 

 But if you live in the country, and are neither forced 

 to buy in the autumn nor to sell in the spring, this 

 additional cost may be reduced to a minimum. One 

 of the results of polo is, curiously enough, to increase 

 in a slight degree the expense of hunting. For the 

 hunters are sold in the spring to make way for polo 

 ponies, and the ponies go to Tattersall's in the autumn 

 to make way for hunters. This is to buy in a rising 

 and sell in a falling market, and is consequently ex- 

 pensive. 



After all it is impossible to lay down rules for ex- 

 penditure. So much depends on method, economy and 

 care that very little more than the hints offered above 

 could be of any general service. Questions about ex- 

 penses must answer themselves in practice. I notice 

 that Ladies' Papers are very fond of spending other 

 peoples' incomes for them on paper, but I should 

 doubt if anybody ever arranged their expenditure on 

 any of the ingenious plans suggested. I am quite 

 sure that in many cases if this were attempted there 

 would be a serious deficit in the balance at the end 



