44 Tallyho, 



from its situation and style ; and^ wlien ushered into 

 the dining-room, where a splendid breakfast is laid — 

 the fine old pictures, china, glass, and other acces- 

 sories to comfort and luxury, with the addition of a 

 bevy of ladies and gentlemen in hunting costume, 

 form as pretty a picture as can well be imagined. 

 ^^ Thank you ; just one glass of cura9oa,^^ and I mount 

 my horse and trot away with the hounds to Holwell 

 Mouth ; a cover placed on the slope of a very steep 

 hill — a bad place to get away from unless the fox 

 breaks at the top, the descent not being facile. How- 

 ever, there is not much time to look around, for a 

 view halloo is heard in the vale, and the fox goes 

 away at a good pace, running a wide ring over ex- 

 cessively heavy land ; then, making his way back to 

 the cover, he is headed by the foot people, and he 

 turns his back on Holwell Mouth, and goes away at 

 a rasping pace in the direction of Six Hills, and, after 

 a short spin of forty minutes, is killed in Sohobyschold. 

 Never in all my experience have I seen a field so 

 utterly squandered, the country riding knee deep, 

 whilst the atmosphere being wet and warm, the going 

 was distressing, even for horses in the best condition, 

 especially in the early part of the run over the vale. 

 Prominent amongst the numerous sportswomen who 

 were out to to-day was Lady Florence Dixie, who came 

 to grief over a flight of posts and rails, drawing 

 the posts out of the ground, without damaging 

 herself, and, as the hounds were not running at 

 the time, it was a matter of very little conse- 

 quence to any one but the farmer whose rails she 

 smashed. Though the day was all against sport, yet 

 I saw enough to satisfy me of the fitness of the Quorn, 



