2 Silk and Scarlet. 



know what injury you're doing yourself, delaying my 

 lecture so long." It seemed to me that we had in- 

 dulged enough in mere table-talk ; and hence I 

 determined to make a gig survey of Leicestershire 

 with him, and ask him to point out to me the leading 

 hunting features in that Waterloo of his existence, 

 where he had so often fallen and fought again to- 

 morrow. The season was hardly in character with 

 the trip. Thorpe Trussells was radiant with dog- 

 roses, and honeysuckles clustered amid the hedges 

 of Ashby Pasture ; but he assured me that his hunting 

 recollections were just as vivid, summer or winter, 

 and soon sketched out a pretty comprehensive jour- 

 ney, through the Belvoir, the Cottesmore, and the 

 Quorn. Three sunny mornings we sallied merrily on 

 our way ; and although Dick added another tumble 

 to his Mammoth bead-roll, and the jolting occupation- 

 roads threatened at intervals to play havoc with my 

 notes, I found his geography of the most jocular 

 order, and travelled over his memory as follows. 



RIDE THE FIRST. 



** What gallant run did brave Meltonians share, 

 But thou wast 'forward,' or the foremost there?" 



Dick gives a T 'M ^ig^t glad youVc come. What a 

 general sketch of X many have been asking me when 

 his health. they're to have this new lecture of mine. 



In Essex they were always at me. What fun I've had 

 down there at Sir Thomas's ! We were jumping all day, 

 doubles, rails, stake and bounds, never off it. Grand 

 horse that Sir John of his. I was there nigh three 

 months ; but I got a bad cold. The doctor was sent 

 'for to me. He comes, and I tells him my age ; he 

 handles me. " O^ie of your lungs!' he says, " is as 

 sound as wax^ but the other's not quite the things 

 Then he asks me which side I sleeps on, and I says, 



