OLD FRIENDS. 187 



Brock leliurst, C. and J. Brown, Burdett-Coutts, Crawley, 

 Ciistance, Drnmmond, Duncan, Fislier, Forester, Good- 

 man, F. Gosling, Hanbmy, Hume, Leatham, Osborne, S. 

 Paget, Parker, Peake, Pennington, Prjor, Rose, Shool- 

 bred, "Williamson, Smith (huntsman to Mr. G. Lane Fox), 

 with very many others, whose names I either did not 

 know or that do not occur to me at the moment of 

 writinir. 



The men from other countries had, of course, come to 

 Croxton Park to make, or renew, acquaintance with the 

 fair pastures of vaunted Leicestershire — and witli this 

 result, that in a half-hour's run from Sproxton Thorns 

 they were scarcely two minutes out of plough. Having 

 thus satisfied themselves of the nakedness of the land, 

 they were in a mood to accept with gratitude any small 

 modicum of sport that so inferior a county might be able 

 to afford tliem before nightfall So far they had gathered 

 themselves for an effort as unnecessary and out of place 

 as that of a strong man blowing soap bubbles. They 

 had already witnessed the natives ride over a hound or 

 two in the open, and jump on each other more freely 

 than in any country on this side the channel. Of 

 all this they made a quiet note, either with a view to 

 retailing in full at to-morrow's covertside at home, or 

 perhaps with the idea, should occasion offer, of for once 

 indulging themselves also in the obvious license, as the 

 afternoon went forward. So they followed on to 

 Coston Covert, again to gaze on a sea of plough all 

 round them, and to find the liahitucs of the scene at once 

 lighting up a second cigar, to consume the long period of 



