124 TJie PytcJiley Hunt^ Past and Present, [chap. iv. 



lie resolved to take personal vengeaDce upon his legal 

 traducer. 



For this purpose he waited two or three afteruoons, 

 armed with a horsewhip^ in the neighbourhood of the 

 law courts^ but happily the opportunity he sought did 

 not present itself; and after a while, through the good 

 offices of Lord Althorp_, peace was restored between the 

 abuser and the abused. 



Lord De Ros did not long survive the social ostracism 

 consequent upon the verdict of the jury, and sank into 

 an early and dishonoured grave. Lord Alvauley — the 

 wit and bon-vivant of the day — on being asked if Lord 

 De Ros had left a card upon him since the trial, replied, 

 ^" Yes, and when I saw that it was not marked, I felt 

 sure he did not mean it for an honour.''^ He also con- 

 cocted a mock epitaph for the peccant victim to cards, 

 which he concluded with the words, ^^ In patient expec- 

 tation of the last trump." 



A still more remarkable instance of cheating at cards 

 was that of the famous Lord Barrymore, the first of the 

 " Plungers," who whilst playing whist with C. J. Fox, 

 took advantage of the large metal buttons on his oppo- 

 nent's coat to see what cards his hand was composed of ! 

 The career of this young nobleman, who was acciden- 

 tally shot by his own servant in his twenty-fourth year, 

 has never been equalled for recklessness, extravagance, 

 and dissipation. 



Ready to play for stakes of any amount — the higher 

 the better — George Payne was of far too friendly a 

 nature to refuse to take a hand at shilling-whist in a 

 country house. On these occasions the interest he 

 evinced in the game was much the same as if the points 



