168 Memoir of Tom Smith, 



*• One hundred hounds !" and turning to Mr. 

 Smith, said, " "Will you allow me to ask you a 

 question ? Will you be so good as to inform 

 me, after your experience, whether these 

 hounds inherit most of their fathers' or their 

 mothers' good qualities?" Seeing all eyes 

 turned on them, Mr. Smith wished to change 

 the subject, or at least defer it till they met in 

 the drawing-room ; but her little ladyship was 

 not to be put off, so he met her question by 

 another, Why she was so anxious to know 

 this ? She re^Dlied, that the fact was, she had 

 studied human nature for many years, and the 

 result of her observation and experience was, 

 that all the most distinguished men then living 

 were descended from clever mothers. She ran 

 over a long list of names, including the Duke 

 of Wellington, Sir Eobert Peel, BuonajDarte, 

 the Eothschilds, and many more, all of whom, 

 according to her, had very wonderful mothers 

 indeed. How much longer her list would 

 have been it is impossible to say, had not the 



