2 ■ A Question of Bits 



prominent figure in a group by the covert side one day 

 in early December, is an instance. Lawford bad every- 

 thing to make him cheerful, except, indeed, that he 

 possessed a disposition which is well described by the 

 word nasty. Whether scent depends on the condition of 

 the ground, or on the temperature, whether Somerville 

 is right, or whether Beckford has good ground for his 

 criticism on the subject in the course of his remarks on 

 thp bard of ' The Chase,' is a point which need not be 

 here discussed, especially as the writer's well-grounded 

 (as he supposes) opinions of one season are frequently 

 upset altogether the following year. Men generally 

 think they know when scent will be good. Very often 

 they are wrong ; but there is comfort in the hope, and 

 Common Down, the meet of the day, held out every 

 promise. Furthermore, Lawford could ride, and he 

 was mounted on a big bay mare, an ex-chaser that 

 looked extremely like business. Lawford could un- 

 doubtedly ride. He had courage, and was thoroughly 

 accustomed to the saddle. He fancied that he was a 

 sound horseman, in the sense of understanding the 

 animal and the delicacies of the art of riding him, and 

 here Lawford was wrong ; but men sometimes are wrong 

 in their own estimate of their knowledge of horses. 

 Other instances have been known besides Lawford. Two 

 or three acquaintances, conventionally called friends, were 

 chatting in a group with him as they awaited the arrival 

 of the hounds. There was a good attendance of sturdy 

 Glebeshire farmers on strong, useful-looking animals — 

 the Glebeshire farmer rides heavy ; a famous jockey and 

 trainer on a yomig chaser was there with his daughter 

 on a once famous handicap winner, now a family hunter, 

 and a couple of his sons, one on a pony and the other 



