MR. ROWLAND ERRINGTON 165 



Before the season closed hounds had a slow hunting 

 run from Mr. Cradock's Gorse, but except that they 

 had a good forty minutes, the run was only remarkable 

 for the fact that although the fox had half-an-hour's 

 start of the hounds, Sir David Baird, one of the char- 

 acters of the Hunt, jumped the Melton Brook, "by way 

 of amusement," for there was a bridge less than a hun- 

 dred yards off, and the hounds had checked. Lord 

 Waterford and Mr. A, Paget got in, and the former, 

 who was nothing if not thoroughgoing, had a second 

 shot at the brook with the same result ; and he was 

 in the water so long that people thought he would surely 

 be drowned, for his horse had his feet on his chest. 

 When he did reach the surface it was found that he had 

 lost his hat and both his stirrups, and when at last his 

 horse was recovered, his lordship trotted in a rather sad 

 state of mind back to Melton. 



It was about this time (1836) that the Duke of Wel- 

 lington paid a visit to Leicestershire, and is said to have 

 given it the flattering appellation of the " nursery of 

 valour," a phrase which would seem to be merely a 

 replica of the statement that the battle of Waterloo was 

 won in the Eton playing-fields, a saying which has 

 often been contradicted. 



In Mr. Errington's time as now, Leicestershire was 

 nothing if not sociable, and although previous masters 

 may have done their best towards hunting the country, 

 there was one matter which they all appeared to have 

 neglected, and that was the Hunt ball. We learn that 

 for years it had been a subject of complaint and dissatis- 

 faction in the county that no such function had been 

 established annually ; and Mr. Errington no sooner 

 learned that there existed a feeling of discontent on this 

 point than, with his usual promptitude and liberality, 

 he began to devise means for organising a satisfactory 

 dance. He saw that if the thing was to be done at 



