hbours' love of sport of
any description, nor did he care for society, and because of all this
he was regarded as peculiar, not to say eccentric. But he was deeply
interested in agriculture, especially in cattle and their improvement,
and that object grew to be his master passion. It was a period of great
depression, and as his farms fell vacant he took them into his own
hands, increased his stock and built model cowhouses, and came at last
to be known throughout his own country, and eventually everywhere, as
one of the biggest cattle-breeders in England. But he was famous in
a peculiar way. Wise breeders and buyers shook their heads and even
touched their foreheads significantly, and predicted that the squire
of Norton would finish by ruining himself. They were right, he ruined
himself; not that he was mentally weaker than those who watched and
cunningly exploited him; he was ruined because his object was a higher
one than theirs. He saw clearly that the prize system is a vicious one
and that better results may be obtained without it. He proved this at
a heavy cost by breeding better beasts than his rivals, who were
all exhibitors and prizewinners, and who by this means got their
advertisements and secured the highest prices, while he, who disdained
prizes and looked with disgust at the overfed and polished animals at
shows, got no advertisements and was compelled to sell at unremunerative
prices. The buyers, it may be mentioned, were always the breeders for
shows, and they made a splendid profit out of it.

He carried on the fight for a good many years, becoming more and more
involved, until his creditors took possession of the estate, sold off
the stock, let the farms, and succeeded in finding a tenant for the
furnished house. He went to a cottage in the village and there passed
his remaining years. To the world he appeared unmoved by his reverses.
The change from mansion and park to a small thatched cottage, with a
labourer's wife for attendant, made no change in the man, nor did he
resign his seat on the Bench of Magistrates or any other unpaid
office he held. To the last he was what he had always been, formal and
ceremonious, more gracious to those beneath him than to equals; strict
in the performance of his duties, living with extreme frugality and
giving freely to those in want, and very regular in his attendance
at church, where he would sit facing the tombs and memorials of his
ancestors, among the people but