rrington,
and Silverbridge drove his friend over in a gig. The Master and Lady
Chiltern, Spooner and Mrs. Spooner, Maule and Mrs. Maule, Phineas
Finn, and a host of others condoled with the unfortunate young man
because he had not seen the good thing yesterday. "We've had it a
little faster once or twice," said Mrs. Spooner with deliberation,
"but never for so long. Then it was straight as a line, and a real
open kill. No changing, you know. We did go through the Daisies,
but I'll swear to its being the same fox." All of which set Tregear
wondering. How could she swear to her fox? And if they had changed,
what did it matter? And if it had been a little crooked, why would it
have been less enjoyable? And was she really so exact a judge of pace
as she pretended to be? "I'm afraid we shan't have anything like that
to-day," she continued. "The wind's in the west, and I never do like
a westerly wind."

"A little to the north," said her husband, looking round the compass.

"My dear," said the lady, "you never know where the wind comes from.
Now don't you think of taking off your comforter. I won't have it."

Tregear was riding his friend's favourite hunter, a thoroughbred bay
horse, very much more than up to his rider's weight, and supposed
to be peculiarly good at timber, water, or any well-defined kind of
fence, however high or however broad. They found at a covert near the
kennels, and killed their fox after a burst of a few minutes. They
found again, and having lost their fox, all declared that there was
not a yard of scent. "I always know what a west wind means," said
Mrs. Spooner.

Then they lunched, and smoked, and trotted about with an apparent
acknowledgement that there wasn't much to be done. It was not right
that they should expect much after so good a thing as they had had
yesterday. At half-past two Mr. Spooner had been sent home by his
Providence, and Mrs. Spooner was calculating that she would be
able to ride her horse again on the Tuesday, when on a sudden the
hounds were on a fox. It turned out afterwards that Dick Rabbit had
absolutely ridden him up among the stubble, and that the hounds had
nearly killed him before he had gone a yard. But the astute animal,
making the best use of his legs till he could get the advantage of
the first ditch, ran, and crept, and jumped absolutely through the
pack. Then there was shouting, and yelling, and riding. The men who
were idly smoking threw away their cigars. Thos