24 sportsmen Parsons in Peace and War 



" Maccaroni." While jumping a small fence into plough, with 

 a slight drop on landing, his mount pecked rather badly, but did 

 not fall. It was observed by those near that he made no effort 

 to save the horse, but simply fell off and never moved again, 

 having died of heart failure. He was buried beside his wife in 

 English Bickner Churchyard. 



Mr. Hustler was the most extraordinarily sweet-tempered 

 man I ever met. It almost amounted to a fault. I never heard 

 an angry or impatient word from him or a grumble. If his elder 

 brother, who was a very rich man, preached to him about ex- 

 travagance, no word that was not kind and charitable left his 

 lips. If anybody in his parish was cantankerous he was full of 

 excuses for them, saying their bark was worse than their bite. 

 The poor were well cared for wherever Mr. Hustler dwelt. He 

 was the soul of generosity. I have grieved in his later years, 

 when he wanted many things himself, to see the bottles of wine 

 and good things going from his home just the same as in his 

 better-off days. 



He had grown sad latterly, partly from the depression that 

 so often accompanies heart trouble, and also I think he felt 

 rather keenly, though he did not saj'^ so, that when he could no 

 longer keep open house and mount people as of old, so few whom 

 he had helped, feasted, and benefited, remembered him. How 

 true it is : 



" Laugh, and the world laughs with you ; 

 Weep, and you weep alone." 



I used to potter round the empty kennels and stables with 

 him and talk of the wonderful performances of some of his old 

 favourites, feeling very sad. His wife was dead, his daughters 

 married, and he had no son ; it was a very lonely eventide. 



I shall carry with me to the end of my days the memory of 

 his unsurpassable gentleness with all things and all people. For 

 twenty -eight years he ministered to the parish of English Bick- 

 ner, and no one can remember seeing him out of temper or 

 otherwise than gentle. 



One of the peculiarities of his household was its unpunctu- 

 ality. For instance, luncheon was supposed to be at one o'clock 

 — at least, that was the advertised time, so to speak — yet I can 

 remember sitting making polite conversation from one o'clock 



