Chance Interview witli a Duchess. 61 



liounds met close by, at Maidenhead thicket, he 

 joined them; and when they were taking the 

 stag ont of a small stream, he sat down on the 

 wall of the bridge, holding his horse. He was 

 accosted by an elegant and high-bred lady, 

 who was also on the bridge, and who made the 

 remark that he did not appear to take mnch 

 interest in snch hunting ; to which he replied 

 that he did not, for he had just returned 

 from hunting with the Quorn hounds, where 

 he had had capital sj^ort. The lady replied that 

 she had lately received a letter from a friend, 

 whose hounds hunted the adjoining country 

 to the Quorn, who stated that his pack had 

 had better sport than the Quorn. She then 

 asked if he had ever been further north; to 

 which he replied that previous to the hunt- 

 ing season he had been on a visit to Lord 

 Fife at Duff House, for salmon-fishing in the 

 Deveron, and grouse-shooting over his lord- 

 ship's moors, which were the most extensive 

 in the north ; to which the lady quickly re- 



