CHAPTER XI 



THE ^SUSSEX GARLAND' 



(from the hound pedigree book) 



These verses are taken from the pages of the ragged old 

 manuscript book which contains the names of the Hounds, 

 their Pedigrees, and the accounts of the Annual Meetings of 

 the Charlton Hunt. What particular station in life was 

 filled by Jack Budd of Charlton I know not ; but fi'om the 

 fact that several members of the Hunt kept their horses in 

 his Stables, and that he himself was a regular follower of 

 the hounds, I should imagine that he was a sporting farmer, 

 or something of that description. And it is not difficult to 

 imagine a pressing invitation being sent from Fox Hall, now 

 and again of a winter's evening, to Mr. Jack Budd, expressing 

 a hope that he would join the Gentlemen of Charlton over 

 their wine ; cannot we picture his jolly flushed face, as in 

 broad Sussex accents he trolled forth those home-made 

 stanzas of his, whilst the glasses and decanters danced and 

 rattled on the table, and the rafters of the Great Hall rang 

 with the rollicking chorus that followed each verse ? 



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