Dick Christian again. 25 



to Melton. He's well pensioned off now, and got a 

 house in the park as well. 



Now, do stand up and look ! There's Emotions on 

 a country worth your coming all the way viewing Ranks- 

 from London just to see. There's your ^°'^° • 

 country ! A steeple-chase once came off right here 

 from Burton to Adcock's Lodge, half-way The Gypsey 

 between Melton and Oakham ; it seems Steeplechase. 

 only yesterday — the Marquis, in blue, falling at this 

 very fence, on The Sea. He was nearest on 'em, but he 

 was half a field behind Mr. Villiers. Poor fellow ! he's 

 dead now ; he rode Gypsey. I had the doctoring of 

 that mare's mouth — grinders grown quite sharp, bless 

 you, sharp as a needle — quite cut holes inside her 

 mouth. It's a nice place this Adcock's p^^^^^^^ l^^j ^ 

 Lodge. I mind Sir Harry asking me 

 where he could get a good bit of bread and cheese 

 after hunting ; and I says, I know the mistress here, 

 and she's an uncommon clever woman. Sir Harry 

 goes in, and the cheese was capital ; and he had his 

 butter and eggs from her reg'lar as long as he was in 

 Melton. 



There'syourcountry! not abadjump that .^j^g whissen- 

 Whissendine there ; get a little lower down, dine and Ranks- 

 and it's all one, like a navigation. I never ^^'^^ • 

 seem to have been out of that brook. What fun I've 

 seen in brooks ! Templeman — aye, "Sim," "Sim," in Lei- 

 you call him — was down here in Mr. Er- cestershire. 

 rington's time. He had mounts on some of Lord 

 Howth's and Mr. Errington's best horses, and he went 

 like a house afire. Many of these flat riders can't go 

 a bit. One day he was on The Hare, a pretty little 

 chestnut, one of Mr. Errington's, and he jumps clean 

 over two or three of them in Glooston brook ; his mare 

 jumps a bit short, and he comes on the bank right 

 across Mr. Gilmour's legs, while he was getting his 

 horse out. Such fun ! I got in lower Huntsmen in 

 down. Charles Payne, he's now hunts- embryo. 



