36 A MONTH IN THE FORESTS OF FRANCE. 



man, with not much waist certainly, but at the same 

 time not possessed of stomach sufficient '' to prevent 

 his sitting on horseback." He trod the platform 

 with a quick, firm, soldierlike step ; and my belief is, 

 that in a wrestle he would kick up the heels of some 

 of the English " gentlemen of the press " who used 

 to be so fond of holding him up to ridicule. 



At last, my hounds in their box, or dog's hole (an 

 improvement, though, on the English holes), and my 

 luggage stowed away, I found myself again progress- 

 ing towards Nevers — a gentleman and a lady, and 

 one other gentleman, my travelling companions. 

 Though smoking in a carriage, I believe, is pro- 

 fessedly prohibited in France, as it is in England, 

 both these gentlemen made themselves horribly dis- 

 agreeable by puffing at their cigars ; when, as I 

 thought it not worth while for the nonce to turn 

 myself into a tobacco -stopper, I bore the infernal 

 fumigation with great good-humour, seeing, too, that 

 the lady (though I thought I read a look of disgust 

 in her features when she accorded permission to 

 smoke) did not openly object to it. Somehow or 

 other we got into an indistinct interchange of ideas, 

 the sight of Malwood having induced some sporting 

 conclusions ; when one of the gentlemen, to show me 

 that he knew what Malwood was for, failing to make 



