HORSE-DEALING 



I was recommended to get in touch with a Mr. 

 Arthur Topham who Uved in York. So one 

 evening I went to see him. I so well remember 

 seeing him sitting in an armchair by the fire. I 

 rang the bell, and we had a good talk. I arranged 

 to pay all his expenses and to take a house in Dublin 

 and give him a good salary if he would go and live 

 over there and buy all the good horses he could. 

 He agreed. I had found it too hard work and 

 very difficult to do from England, and I was 

 wanted too much at home. 



I remember one very enjoyable week I had. I 

 crossed to Ireland on the Sunday and hunted there 

 three days. But I heard the frost was going in 

 England so I got back to Dublin on the Wednesday 

 night and crossed over to England. I forgot to 

 wire my brother that I was coming, so there was 

 nothing to meet me at Northampton. I had to 

 walk home. I found my brother had arranged to 

 take two horses and hunt in Warwickshire, so I 

 went with him. We boxed to Daventry and had 

 quite a good day, but when we got back to Daventry 

 we found our box had been sent away, so we had to 

 ride home. It was about 20 miles from where we 

 left off. The next day I hunted with the Quorn, 

 and with the Cottesmore on the Saturday. A 

 pretty strenuous week. 



As things went on, I felt that my brother needed 

 some help in our growing business. A young 

 friend of mine, Richard Farmer, was living on the 



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