44 A Sportsman at Large 



speech, which had not struck me at the time I was marshalling 

 them for deeds of daring and of mischief. 



During the holidays some lad of my own standing and 

 about my own age generally one of my cousins of the Gill 

 ilk Crandon or Edward was asked to Moat Mount to keep 

 me company. Ted Jaquet was some three years younger 

 than myself, and three years is a considerable hiatus in 

 seniority when boys are in their middle " teens." At that 

 time I looked upon Ted of the Jaquet s as " a mere kid," 

 though as time went on he seemed to level up, and we became 

 inseparable pals, and so we remained for more than three 

 decades. Then circumstances caused a friendly cleavage ; 

 but to the last he remained the dear, delightful, helpful and 

 jovial pal, welded to my heart with Jbonds of sterling gold. 

 Ted of the Gills was, therefore, at that particular phase of 

 my existence which I am now dealing with, my special 

 favourite, and a right good time we had of it together in the 

 woods and far-spreading lands of Moat Mount. It was our 

 custom, in the summer holidays, to procure a bat-wing tent 

 and camp out in the park. It was a point of honour with us, 

 not to partake of any meal in the house except late dinner, 

 such exception being granted, because it was our pleasure 

 to listen to the words of wit and wisdom which fell 

 from the lips of The Dads ; but Ted went very near to 

 forfeiting the old dear's goodwill altogether, owing to a 

 piece of tactless greediness on the younger Edward's 

 part. (The Dads' Christian name was also Edward, be it 

 understood.) 



You must know that my beloved parent had a marked 

 partiality for baked apple dumplings. Our archaic cook 

 Mary, who had known him and nursed him as a child, was 

 ever mindful of this gastronomic penchant, so that " the 

 jockeys " were very often in evidence. She would provide 

 exactly enough to go round, plus an extra one jor The Dads' 

 second offensive, which he invariably launched. 



This was, I thought, an understood thing ; but one evening 

 Edward the Younger so far forgot what was due to his host, 

 so immeasurably his elder and better, as actually to race 

 The Dads for the extra dumpling, and, what is more, he 



