6 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



always immense, but who never liad any money to 

 pay his soldiers. I am sure we resemble each other. 

 I have found it so at popular elections ; and in my 

 everyday walk through life the same affinity occurs. 

 Arrived at the terminus at Southampton, the usual 

 civility and attention met me ; and then my parcels, 

 amounting to eleven separate packages, were seized 

 by nearly as many industrious and assiduous friends. 

 A hand-barrow ran against my legs on one side ; the 

 huge omnibus yawned for me on the other ; a skir- 

 misher flew to call me a cab ; and, by the time I 

 received my four-footed companions from the atten- 

 tive and careful guard, who had retained them with 

 him in his van, I discovered that my luggage was 

 gone in a dozen different forms of locomotion to the 

 Dolphin Hotel, whither I followed with a staff of 

 porters and cads, who all insisted upon being likewise 

 led by my dogs. It was impossible for me to help 

 this. All my followers were old friends, who had 

 really been useful to me, perhaps to the neglect of 

 others, on bustling days. I w^as in the best of humours, 

 and so were they ; they were all anxious to pat and 

 caress my dogs, with the question if " Malwood was 

 Druid " a dozen times repeated ; so, feeling that it is 

 always "merry in hall when beards wag all," and as 

 I was about to have some dinner, I marshalled my 



