it was, it was bellows to mend; and Calcott’s roarer roared as surely roarer never roared before.  You could hear him half a mile off.  We had barely time, however, to turn our horses to the wind, and ease them for a few moments, before the pace began to mend, and from a catching to a holding scent they again poured across Wallingburn pastures, and away to Roughacres Court.  It was between these places that I got my head duntled into my hat,’ continued his lordship, knocking the crownless hat against his mud-stained knee.  ’However, I didn’t care a button, though I’d not worn it above two years, and it might have lasted me a long time about home; but misfortunes seldom come singly, and I was soon to have another.  The few of us that were left were all for the lanes, and very accommodating the one between Newton Bushell and the Forty-foot Bank was, the hounds running parallel within a hundred yards on the left for nearly a mile.  When, however, we got to the old water-mill in the fields below, the fox made a bend to the left, as if changing his mind, and making for Newtonbroome Woods, and we were obliged to try the fortunes of war in the fields.  The first fence we came to looked like nothing, and there was a weak place right in my line that I rode at, expecting the horse would easily bore through a few twigs that crossed the upper part of it.  These, however, happened to be twisted, to stop the gap, and not having put on enough steam, they checked him as he rose, and brought him right down on his head in the broad ditch, on the far side.  Old Blossomnose, who was following close behind, not making any allowance for falls, was in the air before I was well down, and his horse came with a forefoot, into my pocket, and tore the lap clean off by the skirt’; his lordship exhibiting the lap as he spoke.

‘It’s your new coat, too,’ observed Jack, examining it with concern as he spoke.

‘’Deed, is it!’ replied his lordship, with a shake of the head. ’’Deed, is it!  That’s the consequence of having gone out to breakfast.  If it had been to-morrow, for instance, I should have had number two on, or maybe number three,’ his lordship having coats of every shade and grade, from stainless scarlet down to tattered mulberry colour.

‘It’ll mend, however,’ observed his lordship, taking it back from Jack; ‘it’ll mend, however,’ he said, fitting it round to the skirt as he spoke.

‘Oh, nicely!’ replied Jack; ’it’s come off clean by the skirt.  But what said Old Blossom?’ inquired Jack.

‘Oh, he was full of apologies and couldn’t helps it as usual,’ replied his lordship; ’he was down, too, I should tell you, with his horse on his left leg; but there wasn’t much time for apologies or explanation, for the hounds were running pretty sharp, considering how long they had been at work, and there was the chance of others jumping upon us if we didn’t get out of the way, so we both scrambled up as quick as we could and got into our places again.’