Lord Spencei's Mastership, 219 



afterwards discharged themselves with such terrific force, 

 the political atraosphere was comparatively serene and 

 undisturbed. 



In a letter from Ziirich in the June of 1874, the writer 

 says : " I am on my way to Ragatz^ which I hope will 

 strengthen the system, and enable me to carry out effi- 

 ciently next winter my duties in county affairs, as well 

 as those of M.F.H. I feel desperately eager to get back to 

 superintend kennel-matters. The fact is that I have had to 

 go into so many more details of management than I had 

 when there was Charles Payne to lean upon, that I have 

 got more interest, if more trouble, in my M.F.H duties. 

 I like what I see of Goodall. He is keen as mustard, 

 very active and sharp ; and I breathe much more freely 

 than when in the atmosphere of Squires, from whom 

 breezes occasionally emanated other than those of 

 milk, which was his usual outward and visible beverage. 

 My regard for Tom Goddard made me very extrava- 

 gant in my bid for " Newport;" but it is well perhaps 

 that I missed him. I should have liked ^* Optimist " 

 for Goodall, but I stopped after two hundred and thirty 

 guineas. I hope that my purchase of the Duhallow 

 Hounds will be useful. The dog-lot is rather too tall ; 

 but to my fancy they are very good-looking, and I have 

 a wonderful report of them in the field. These and 

 some Fitzwilliam reduced-establishment drafts, and the 

 Holderness lot, ought to make our pack up to a state 

 of efficiency." 



During the four years that followed, there was nothing 

 omitted by the noble Master to ensure that amount of 

 sport which was the one great object of his desire, and 

 which^ more or less, occupied his thoughts by day and 



