Dick Christia7i again. 27 



had his mouth open, forty or fifty of them. I never 

 could just make it out ; the foggy day must have 

 done it ; country very deep ; not a bit above three 

 miles. As good a thing as I ever rode in from here 

 was in Lord Lonsdale's day : we run him to ground 

 at Collyweston Low Wood, near Wansford, ten miles 

 by the crow, but I warrant we went it sixteen, and a 

 nice spread-eagle we had. Look at Rocart ; ain't it a 

 pretty little place } nice brook that for practice ; rare 

 little cover : it don't look much Hke finding now ; it's 

 all over white blossoms. 



Now we're in Langham. Dal ! it's He remembers 

 well I've thought of it. That's the very ^is Godfather. 

 house where my godfather lived. The very spot ; it 

 was always sixpence for me when I see him. His 

 name was Mr. James Jackson Melita Langham ; he 

 was a very great cocker ; he bred 'em ; me and my 

 father used to breed lots of 'em, and get walks for 

 them ; almost all greys — duckwings and mealy greys ; 

 they was indeed — beautiful cocks ; he wouldn't sell a 

 many. He wouldn't sell no hens or spare his eggs to 

 set. My father and him was very thick ; he used to 

 sell him a deal of barley, that was the way of it. No 

 relations, but always very friendly ; sing'lar, wasn't it, 

 that should have jumped into my mind .<* 



You see that bye-bar there. I never go The Bye-bar 

 to cover but I think of it. When I lived J^"^?- 

 at Luffenham, I had horses and rode, same as at Mel- 

 ton. The man wouldn't let me through without pay- 

 ing that morning ; we were always the best of friends, 

 but the wife had been worriting him, and he turned 

 stupid. I'd never corned a yard on the turnpike-road, 

 but away from Beeby ; so I says, " Be Jianged if Fll 

 pay ; you may shut the gate f' so I turns round, and 

 at it I goes, over where the foot people gets through. 

 " Thafs paid yoUy' I says. " You sees a jump pre- 

 cious seldom, sticking here for halfpence all day /" so 

 he laughs, and he says, ** You*re quite welcome, I'll 



