AN UNWELCOME VISITOR 163 



** Not at home, sir," was the servant's reply. 



" He is at home ! " roared Trueman ; "a sneaking, 

 cheating, cowardly blackguard ! Let me catch him, and 

 I will horsewhip him within an inch of his Hfe for killing 

 my hounds ! " 



" Not at home, sir," again replied the tall footman, 

 very demurely. 



" Very well, sir,'* said Trueman ; " then tell him, 

 with my compliments, ITl draw his dirty purse-strings 

 for this morning's work, which will hurt him more than 

 a sound horsewhipping." 



Trueman galloped away from the hall door, blowing 

 his horn incessantly, but all that answered to its notes 

 were three couples of his old hounds, which, having 

 gone away with a hare for some few miles, returned 

 just then to join their master. The rest of the pack were 

 weltering in their gore. 



The old Squire the following morning rode over to 

 consult with a friendly lawyer and brother thistle- 

 whipper how to take vengeance on the parvenu, of course 

 giving his own version of the story — " Good scenting 

 morning — went out early, just for a quiet gallop by myself 

 — ^hounds ran away," &c. &c. The usual result of con- 

 ferring with a limb of the law followed ; action recom- 

 mended without delay, which pleasing intelligence was 

 conveyed to the great man by the same day's post — 

 or compensation — say one hundred pounds. 



This sum being considered enormous by Mr. Bragg, 

 who knew the value of money, and was not to be imposed 

 upon, nothing remained but to fight it out with the aid 

 of the big-wigs. The assizes drew on, but in the interim 

 a rise in the market value of harriers took place. Lord 

 Harbinger's pack had been sold at Tattersall's for 



