Lord spencer^ s Mastership. 221 



the Dover cliffs. " Love at first sight/^ according to ttie 

 Yankees, is '^ tlie greatest labour-saving machine in the 

 world," but in this case it did not prove a mo7iei/-saving 

 one to the purchaser^ inasmuch as it was not long before 

 the animal in question found his way back into North- 

 amptonshire — a present to Lord Spencer — his only 

 fault being that he was ^^not weak enough for the 

 place/^ 



But a greater even than the noble Warden of the 

 Cinque Ports gave by his presence quite a fillip to the 

 Meet at Althorp, one fine spring morning. It was known 

 that the " G.O.M." was staying in the house, and it was 

 expected that he would appear — not exactly in scarlet 

 and tops, but in '^ highlows " and jacket to match, just 

 to say that he had been present at a Meet with the 

 Pytchley. This did not, however, appear to be a great 

 object of desire with the Premier of England. 



Anticipating the irreverent sneers of Lord Randolph 

 Churchill, he even then enacted the part of ^^ an old man 

 in a hurry,^' and after a brief survey of the scene, and 

 without stopping to address the Field, the Huntsman, or 

 even the second horseman, he hastily retreated to the 

 more suitable surroundings of the famous Library. But 

 his eyes were not closed during the few brief minutes of 

 his attendance at the Meet. When invited by one of the 

 guests after dinner to say how the farmers were to meet 

 the distressful times which had then just commenced, the 

 acute observer remarked, " They cannot be so badly off, 

 or they would not ride such beautiful horses as I saw 

 this morning; " adding — ^^ And what do you think they 

 really want ? " "A slight duty on corn/' was the reply. 

 " They will never get it ; and if they did, it would do 



