HUNTING IN THE MIDLANDS 165 



reform the ways of the natives and the practices of 

 the priests. Installed in his new living, he deter- 

 mined to forswear hounds and hunting entirely. 

 He even carried his orthodoxy to such a point as to 

 institute daily services, which at first, however, were 

 very well attended. Gradually his congregation 

 fell off, much to the grief of the enthusiastic pastor. 

 One day, observing his churchwardens lingering in 

 the aisle after the service had been concluded, he 

 went up and asked them whether they could at all 

 inform him of the origin of the declension. " Well, 

 sir," said one of the worthies thus addressed, " we 

 were a-going to speak to you about the very same 

 thing. You see, sir, the parson of this parish do 

 always keep hounds. Mr Froude, he kept fox- 

 hounds, Mr Bellew he kept harriers, and least ways 

 we always expect the parson of this parish to keep 

 a small cry of sicnwiut." Whereupon the rector 

 expressed his entire willingness to contribute a sum 

 to the support of " a small cry " of harriers, pro- 

 vided his congregation found the remainder. The 

 experiment was tried and was completely successful, 

 nor after that day had the new rector occasion to 

 complain of a deficiency in his congregation. 



Tories of the old school, for instance Sir Cloudes- 

 ley Spanker, who has acquitted himself so gallantly 

 to-day, would no doubt affirm that fox-hunting has 



I M 



