Picture of the Hampshire Hunt. 53 



"We have said in an early chapter that Mr. 

 Smith had a talent for painting, and this he 

 displayed abont this time by producing a pic- 

 ture which contained sixty-five portraits of 

 men and horses belonging to the Hampshire 

 Hunt. It happened in this way. He was 

 riding to Hinton House, the place of meet, 

 along with Mr, G. Richards, Avhen, from the 

 opposite hill, he saw the whole party grouped 

 before the house. It was a dull frosty day; but 

 a gleam of sunshine suddenly broke through, 

 and it occurred to him that this was a. good 

 subject for a picture. At a glance he took in 

 the whole scene; and he retained it so tho- 

 roughly in his mind, that though he was late 

 home after the run to Allington, he commenced 

 his work immediately after dinner. He worked 

 on, hour after hour, until ^nq o'clock the next 

 morning, and then he had finished the pic- 

 ture, which now hangs in the dining-room at 

 Fir Hill. Almost incredible as it may seem, 

 he never once touched a single figure of man 



