hooping and screeching while the hounds worried the fox, "I'll tell you what, I'll give you a guinea if you'll go and present Mr. Tarquinius Muff with the brush," pointing to Muff as he stood at the window, surrounded by the ladies, like a cock of the midden.

"I'll soon do that for nothing," replied Tom, taking the brush from the huntsman, and shuffling away in the crab-like fashion of a whipper-in, up to the house.

"Please, sir," said he, touching his cap, as he saw a frown o'erspreading Muff's ample face instead of the smile that usually irradiates a man about to be honoured. "Please, sir, Ben has made free to send you the brush, and is sorry you've missed the run.

"Is he?" sneered Muff. "I feel much flattered by his condescension," at the same time sticking his hands under his coat-tails to remove all idea of his accepting the offer.

"Pray where is Mr. Neville?" asked he, after a pause.

"He's not out, sir," replied Tom, with another touch of the cap.

"Not out!" exclaimed Muff. "You don't mean to say you've thrown off without him?"

"Master said we were to hunt if we could, and there was anybody there."

"Well, and who have you had?" asked Muff.

"Oh, there's Mr. Scott, and Mr. Sheepskin, and Mr. Brown, and Mr. Randall of Reay, and several others," replied Tom.

"They are not owners of covers, I think," snapped Muff.

"Hazelhanger belongs to Mr. Scott," observed

Bowles.

66

Well, you know your orders best," observed Muff pompously, "but if you were my servants, I should say you had done extremely wrong in throwing off on such a day, especially to such a field, disturbing such an extent of country;" whereupon he gave a loud hem, and returned with the ladies to the luncheon, repeating as he went, "extremely wrong, indeed!"

"Vain his attempt who strives to please them all!”

CHAPTER XII.

THE BAD MEET.

"OH! уau-au-Neville's at the chase. Monday," puffed great Captain Rasher through a mouthful of mustachios in his barrack-room at Scrapetin, as he read the county paper. Sha'n't go-never get a run-confounded woodland place-up to one's horse's hocks all the day in mud and clay— bad for curbs "-with which observation the man of war settled the matter; and being the hunting authority of the regiment, of course all the subs followed suit. Lieutenant Scrimagour denounced it as the most uncivilised place that ever was seen; and little Cornet Muttonjaw, who is just weaned and entered to hunting, swore "he wouldn't go if anybody would lend him a horse and give him five pounds into the bargain."

So they settled the matter in barracks.

"I sha'n't hunt to-morrow, William," said Tarquinius Muff, strutting into his stable at the four o'clock feeding time, with his friend old Major Tinhead, to show off his stud. It's the most confounded nasty place to get away from that ever was seen, and a very likely one for an accident. Strip that horse, Tom," said Muff to helper No. 1, who