At Badminton, 73 



requisite if the country is to be hunted five or six 

 days a week. At a call from the attendant every 

 hound rises and comes into the stone paved yard ; one 

 old veteran audibly expressing his disgust at being dis- 

 turbed by a deep and suggestive growl; and^ as I 

 stand in the midst of them, I have a full opportunity 

 of noting their size, quality, and condition, which I 

 pronounce to be unsurpassable. It is a beautiful 

 picture ; a sight that would please any lover of 

 animals, but far more attractive to one in whom the 

 love of hunting and all belonging to it is inherent ; 

 and, as I watch the faces of these sagacious creatures, 

 I hear with great regret that one of the flowers of the 

 pack was killed by a kick from a young horse, and 

 that Lord Worcester, terminating the day^s sport at 

 once, declared that he would have sooner lost a thou- 

 sand pounds than this favourite hound. I am next 

 shown two Irish deerhounds of great beauty, the like 

 of which I have never seen before. Passing into the 

 gardens, I revel for awhile amidst beds of violets, 

 admire the flowers, the vines, and the neatness and 

 order in which everything is kept ; and then, as I turn 

 my back on this hospitable mansion, I say — to my- 

 self, of course — as far as I am concerned — and my 

 opinion binds nobody else — ^' Let laws and commerce, 

 arts and science die ; But leave us still our old 

 Nobility." Bidding adieu to Badminton, and taking 

 note of a row of almshouses bearing heraldic devices, 

 I trudge off on my way back to '^ Yate,'''' but not 

 before I hear an acknowledgment of the kindness 

 and thoughtfulness on all occasions of her Grace. If 

 any value is attached to the goodwill of friends and 



