62 



" Killed him, sir," replied Tom, with the slightest possible touch 

 of the cap. (Bouncer was no tip.) 



" Indeed ! " exclaimed Bouncer, gaily, with that sort of sham- 

 satisfaction that most people express about things that can't concern 

 them in the least. " Indeed ! I'm deuced glad of that ! Where 

 did you kill him ? » 



" At the back of Mr. Plummey's farm-buildings, at Shapwick," 

 replied Tom ; adding, " but, my word, he led us a dance afore we got 

 there — up to Ditchington, down to Somerby, round by Temple Bell 

 Wood, cross Goosegreen Common, then away for Stubbington Brooms, 

 skirtin' Sanderwick Plantations, but scarce goin' into 'em, then by 

 the round hill at Camerton, leavin' great Heatherton to the right, 

 and so straight on to Shapwick, where we killed, with every hound 

 up—" 



" God bless me / " exclaimed Bouncer, apparently lost in admira- 

 tion, though he scarcely knew the country ; " God bless me ! " re- 

 peated he, " what a run ! The finest run that ever was seen." 



" Nine miles in twenty-five minutes," replied Tom, tacking on a 

 little both for time and distance. 



" B-o-y Jove ! " exclaimed the major. 



Having shaken hands with and congratulated Mr. Waffles most 

 eagerly and earnestly, the major hurried off to tell as much as he 

 could remember to the first person he met, just as the cheese-bearer 

 at a christening looks out for some one to give the cheese to. The 

 cheese-getter on this occasion was Doctor Lotion, who was going to 

 visit old Jackey Thompson, of Woolleyburn. Jackey being then in 

 a somewhat precarious state of health, and tolerably advanced in life, 

 without any very self-evident heir, was obnoxious to the attentions 

 of three distinct litters of cousins, some one or other of whom was 

 constantly " baying him." Lotion, though a sapient man, and some- 

 what grinding in his practice, did not profess to grind old people 

 young again, and feeling he could do very little for the body cor- 

 porate, directed his attention to amusing Jackey's mind, and anything 

 in the shape of gossip was extremely acceptable to the doctor to retail 

 to his patient. Moreover, Jackey had been a bit of a sportsman, and 

 was always extremely happy to see the hounds — on anybody' 1 s land 

 but his own. 



So Lotion got primed with the story, and having gone through the 

 usual routine of asking his patient how he was, how he had slept, 

 looking at his tongue, and reporting on the weather, when the old 

 posing question, " What's the news ? " was put, Lotion replied, as he 

 too often had to reply, for he was a very slow hand at picking up in- 

 formation, 



" Nothin' particklar, I think, sir ; " adding, in an off-hand sort of 

 way, " You've heard of the greet run, I s'pose, sir ? " 



" Great run ! " exclaimed the octogenarian, as if it was a matter 



