" The Doncaster Gazette ." 147 



experiences than the second porton of "Dick 

 Christian's Lectures" supply. " Dick Chris- 

 tian," writes "The Druid," in the first chap- 

 ter of "Silk and Scarlet," "had practically- 

 sounded the depth of every ditch and brook 

 in Leicestershire for more than half a cen- 

 tury ; but its fox-hunters had never half 

 sounded him in return. They little knew 

 what a capacity for authorship, which was 

 not destined to blossom until its seventy- 

 eighth spring, lurked in that thick-set frame 

 and merry twinkling eye. Seated beneath 

 the chestnut shade, I found him as remarkable 

 in his language as he had been when I gave 

 him his first trial eighteen months before, and 

 firmer than ever in his hero-worship of Air. 

 Assheton Smith, Sir James Musgrave, and 

 Captain White. It was not for any lack of 

 epistolary stimulants on his part that I de- 

 layed my visit so long. He fairly thirsted 

 to be in print once more, and the post had 

 brought me many an admonition to this effect. 

 He kept on writing : ' You don't know 

 what injury you are doing yourself and me 

 by delaying my second Lecture so long.' It 

 seemed to me that in the first effort we 



