5 8 Tally ho. 



and I consider it a waste of good material that this 

 handsome animal should be doomed to convey those 

 of the inhabitants of Leicester who have " shuffled off 

 the mortal coil ^' to their last home. Whilst speaking 

 of Leicester, I will relate an occurrence which amused 

 me. 



A stranger, accompanied by a boy, entered a silver- 

 smithes shop, whose name, for obvious reasons, I 

 suppress, and asked to look at some articles of plate. 

 The shopman, not liking the look of his customer, was 

 very cautious and abrupt in his manner, evidently 

 wishing to get rid of him ; and he left without making 

 any purchase. 



"Father,^^ said the boy, "1 think that man was 

 very rude to you.^^ 



'^"Well, he was, my boy, very rude indeed. ^^ 

 " He seemed to kind of suspect you, I thought,'^ 

 said the boy. 



" Ah, my boy, that's a bad man, a very bad man ; 

 but he'll suffer for it, both here and hereafter. Pve 

 six of his spoons in my pocket now ! '' 



It may be easy enough to express an opinion of the 

 comparative merits of the sportsmen of times past and 

 present ; but when I come to speak of the sports- 

 women, I find a difficulty. In my early days I hunted 

 in Essex with Lord Petre's hounds, and the only lady 

 I remember to have seen attending the meets was 

 the then Lady Petre — an elegant woman, as a Howard 

 would naturally be — dressed in a light blue habit, 

 with a velvet hat and drooping feather, mounted 

 superbly, followed by a couple of grooms in livery, and 

 riding by the side of the noble master at such home 

 meets as Warley-common or Thorndon Hall ; canter- 



