200 THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEASON 



on horseback, would entitle him to a deanery at the 

 very least, could the Broad-Church party but come 

 into power. His small country parish, however, 

 does not suffer by the fondness of its rector for the 

 sports of the field ; having a hard-working and most 

 exemplary curate, he is still a painstaking and 

 estimable parish priest, and much preferred, I doubt 

 not, by all his parishioners to any more busy and 

 interfering divine of either of the other two schools 

 of divinity. I myself am by no means the sole 

 member of the military profession present, for we 

 are here of all ranks, from the just-joined subaltern 

 to the gallant colonel of the county militia, a stout 

 fine-looking veteran, none of your feather-bed 

 soldiers, and one w^ho, spite of his w^eight, is an 

 exceedingly difficult man to beat across country. 

 " Mammon," as it is the fashion nowadays to call 

 that useful article, money, is seen approaching in 

 the person of the Surlyford banker, who, wisely 

 flindng business to the winds at least twice in the 

 week, gets astride a good-looking, nearly thorough- 

 bred nag, and finds accepting bullfinches, negotiating 

 ditches, and discounting gates, stiles, &c., a much 

 more healthy and more pleasant, if not more pro- 

 fitable, occupation than everlastingly grubbing after 

 filthy lucre. 



The Master now makes his appearance, tall and 



