" THE COTTESMORE IN 1826." 35 



with the lightest possible triggers, indeed they 

 seemed hardly safe ; and unless the old tinder box 

 missed fire, which it sometimes did, nothing that 

 moved was safe ; no pheasant flew too high, no 

 partridge flew too fast, and as for hares, and rabbits 

 in covert or out of. covert, if he caught a sight of 

 them they were as good as cooked. 



It was but seldom that Sir Richard saw his own 

 house by daylight. I suspect he was generally off 

 hunting at cock-crow, and on a non-hunting day he 

 was off somewhere to shoot, and did not get home 

 till the shades of evening were closing o'er him. 

 As soon as he got home, whether from hunting or 

 shooting, he invariably turned in and got forty 

 winks before dressing for dinner. He had nothing 

 to do after the fatigues of the day, but to refresh 

 his body and mind by a little sleep ; he had no 

 parish duties to attend to after he got home, as our 

 clerical friend had, who, with all his love for out- 

 door sports, was, as a rule, attentive to his duties ; 

 and though he often did not see his home during 

 the dark winter months by daylight, he never 

 neglected looking after his parishioners ; and if any 

 one required his counsel, or consolation from him, 

 he would, I have heard, when there was no moon, 



D 2 



