226 AN ORIGINAL MANCEUVEE. 



proprietor, and there left them, sKpping away him- 

 self through a by-road which passed close to the 

 covert. This manoeuvre was accomplished about 

 nine o'clock in the morning, when the novus homo 

 was performing his ablutions in his dressing-room, 

 which commanded a view of his pet preserve ; and 

 great was his astonishment on beholding the hares 

 scudding about in all directions, pursued by two 

 or three couples of hounds, with their melodious 

 voices echoing through the windoAv at which he 

 stood. A violent pull at the bell followed, on 

 which his French valet rushed up stairs, thinking 

 his master had been taken suddenly ill. 



" rran9ois," exclaimed the master in a furious 

 passion, " what the devil are all those dogs driving 

 the hares out of the home-wood ?" 



" Me not know, sare — see no dog, sare." 

 " Then come here, you fool — do you see them 

 now ?" 



" Ah ! oui — une grande chasse de lievres!' 

 "Hang your liver — don't stand grinning and 

 grimacing there like an infernal French monkey, 

 but send for my head keeper this instant — all my 

 keepers — quick, begone l" 



Downstairs rushed the valet, and in a few 

 minutes, huddling on his clothes, the great man 

 himself hurried down also, where he found the 



