Anecdote of Mr. Warde, 91 



how is it you are not in mourning ?" ^' What 

 do you mean ? who ?" cried Warde, astonished. 

 ^^ One of your oldest friends," said the other, 

 with a deep groan. "- "Who — who is it ? tell 

 me at once." ^^ I will. Tom Smith has just 

 killed a fox that you must have hunted a 

 hundred times, for he hadn't a tooth in his 

 head." ^^Oh!" said Warde, who was never at 

 a loss for a reply, '-'• that's my doing after all ; 

 I entered Tom as a puppy." 



The Craven country is not a good scenting 

 one, but it has always a good supply of foxes, 

 and, notwithstanding park walls, is an easy 

 one to cross. Still a fall can be had, if you 

 desire it. It happened once that Lord Ailes- 

 bury had the Duke of Gloucester staying with 

 him at Tottenham Park, and he invited Mr. 

 Smith to come over to the shooting, and stay 

 for the night. As he had a meet near that 

 day, he could only accept the invitation to 

 dinner; and knowing the covert where the 

 shooting was to be, his dread was lest his 



