Scarlet. 263 



episode in the old fox-hunter's life, and in a few weeks 

 he suddenly took to his bed in Wales, and died after 

 only two days of illness, or rather great weakness. 

 What was once a summer temple at the top of a long 

 beech-shaded vista in his garden, is now his resting- 

 place. Thousands, whose lot it was to labour to pro- 

 duce his wealth, and for whose happiness and well- 

 being he effected so much in return, will long cling 

 fondly to his memory. Still in the eye of the world, 

 which knew little of these things, it was foxhunting 

 which lent such an intense earnestness to his hfe, and 

 looking back at him only in that point of view, none 

 will be found to dispute, that however hasty both in 

 temper and action he might be in the field or on the 

 flags, he was the mightiest hunter that ever **rode 

 across Belvoir's sweet Vale," or wore a horn at his 

 saddle-bow. 



Those were right pleasant days in Early Days in 

 Dorsetshire, when the Prince of Wales Dorsetshire. 

 lived at Moor Critchell, and wore the scarlet coat 

 and white cloth waistcoat uniform of the H. H. 

 His pack of rabbit beagles, seven couple of which 

 could ride to the meet in a couple of panniers, were 

 his delight on bye days, and he had a heartier hand- 

 shake for none than Parson Butler, The coverside 

 would not have looked itself without this eccentric 

 cassock, and his half-sheared terrier, Impey, who was 

 as great a foe to badgers as he was to foxes. He was 

 never beaten but once, on the day when Ben Foote, 

 then a mere boy, was run away with by Traveller 

 (who had been purchased out of a light coach), in a 

 rare five-and-forty minute thing from Frampton to 

 Cerne. " Urging," like a second Mazeppa, " on his 

 wild career," through the village, Ben caught a glimpse 

 of something jumping up at a window from the inside, 

 and when he got back to them, and found that they 

 had come to a twenty minutes' check, they vowed 

 that he had been dreaming in his flight. However, 



