154 THE SOUTH DEVON HUNT 



Lord Haldon then wrote to Mr. Studd expressing 

 his readiness to return twenty-one-and-a-half couple 

 of hounds in accordance with the condition referred 

 to earher in this chapter, and asked whether Mr. 

 Studd would care to take at a valuation the further 

 seven couple that had been added to the pack. He 

 added : "As soon as this is settled . . . you are 

 welcome to take the hounds ; and, indeed, even 

 pending this, I see no reason whatever why the 

 hounds should not go out, so long as you provide 

 the cattle." Mr. Studd did not want more than 

 twenty-one couple and a half, but reminded Lord 

 Haldon that he was entitled to that number of sound 

 hounds fit for work, and, considering the matter to 

 be thus settled, he removed all but seven couple from 

 Haldon to Oxton. 



Lord Haldon took great exception to what he 

 called " this precipitate step " ; he wrote forbidding 

 Mr. Studd to use the hounds for hunting, or to draw 

 his coverts with any other hounds, and refused to 

 respond to Mr. Studd's conciliatory letters. His 

 indignation does not seem to have been justified by 

 the facts, but, in passing judgment on his action, 

 every allowance must be made for the frame of mind 

 of a man harassed by financial difficulties and 

 suffering bitter disappointment. 



