CHAPTER LXIV. 



THE KENNEL AND THE STUD. 



We will now accompany Mr. Watchorn to the stable, whither his 

 resolute legs carried him as soon as the champagne wrought the wonder- 

 ful change in his opinion of the weather, though, as he every now 

 and then crossed a spangled piece of ground upon which the sun had 

 not struck, or stopped to crack a piece of ice with his toe, he shook 

 his heated head, and doubted whether he was Cardinal Wiseman for 

 making the attempt. Nothing but the fact of his considering it per- 

 fectly immaterial whether he was with his hounds or not encouraged 

 him in the' undertaking. " Dash them ! " said he, " they must just 

 take care of themselves." With which laudable resolution, and an 

 inward anathema at George Cheek, he left off trying the ground and 

 tapping the ice. 



Watchorn's hurried, excited appearance produced little satisfac- 

 tion among the grooms and helpers at the stables, who were congra- 

 tulating themselves on the opportune arrival of the frost, and arrang- 

 ing how they should spend their New-Year's day. 



" Look sharp, lads ! look sharp ! " exclaimed he, clapping his 

 hands as he ran up the yard. " Look sharp, lads ! look sharp ! " re- 

 peated he, as the astonished helpers showed their bare arms and 

 dirty shirts at the partially opened doors, responsive to the sound. 

 " Send Snaffle here, send Brown here, send Greene here, send Snooks 

 here/' exclaimed he, with the air of a man in authority. 



Now Snaffle was the stud-groom, a personage altogether indepen- 

 dent of the huntsman, and, in the ordinary course of nature, Snaffle 

 had just as much right to send for Watchorn, as Watchorn had to 

 send for him ; but Watchorn being, as we said before, some way con- 

 nected with Lady Scattercash, he just did as he liked among the 

 whole of them, and they were too good judges to rebel. 



" Snaffle," said he, as the portly, well-put-on personage waddled 

 up to him ; " Snaffle," said he, " how many sound osses have you ? " 



" None, sir," replied Snaffle, confidently. 



" How many three-legged 'uns have you that can go, then ? " 



" ! a good many," replied Snaffle, raising his hand to tell them 

 off on his fingers. " There's Hop-the-twig, and Hannah Bell 

 (Hannibal), and Ugly Jade, and Sir-danapalis — the Baronet as we 

 calls him — and Harkaway, and Hit-me-hard, and Single-peeper, and 

 Jack's-alive, and Groggytoes, and Greedyboy, and Puff-and-blow ; 

 that's to say two and three-legged 'uns at least," observed Snaffle, 

 qualifying his original assertion, 



