nd do you keep near me."

"I bean't to be galloping up and down them rides, I suppose," said
Bat, almost contemptuously.

"I shan't gallop up and down the rides, myself; but do you mark me,
to know where I am, so that I can change if a fox should go away."

"You'll be here all day, sir. That's my belief."

"If so, I won't ride the brown horse at all. But do you take care to
let me have him if there's a chance. Do you understand?"

"Oh, yes, I understand, sir. There ain't no difficulty in my
understanding;--only I don't think, sir, you'll ever get a fox out
of that wood to-day. Why, it stands to reason. The wind's from the
north-east."

Cranby Wood is very large,--there being, in truth, two or three woods
together. It was nearly twelve before they found; and then for an
hour there was great excitement among the men, who rode up and down
the rides as the hounds drove the fox from one end to another of the
enclosure. Once or twice the poor animal did try to go away, and then
there was great hallooing, galloping, and jumping over unnecessary
fences; but he was headed back again, or changed his mind, not liking
the north-east wind of which Bat Smithers had predicted such bad
things. After one the crowd of men became rather more indifferent,
and clustered together in broad spots, eating their lunch, smoking
cigars, and chaffing each other. It was singular to observe the
amazing quantity of ham sandwiches and of sherry that had been
carried into Cranby Wood on that day. Grooms appeared to have been
laden with cases, and men were as well armed with flasks at their
saddle-bows as they used to be with pistols. Maxwell and Pollock
formed the centre of one of these crowds, and chaffed each other with
the utmost industry, till, tired of having inflicted no wounds, they
turned upon Grindley and drove him out of the circle. "You'll make
that man cut his throat, if you go on at that," said Pollock. "Shall
I?" said Maxwell. "Then I'll certainly stick to him for the sake of
humanity in general." During all this time Vavasor sat apart, quite
alone, and Bat Smithers grimly kept his place, about three hundred
yards from him.

"We shan't do any good to-day," said Grindley, coming up to Vavasor.

"I'm sure I don't know," said Vavasor.

"That old fellow has got to be so stupid, he doesn't know what he's
about," said Grindley, meaning Sir William.

"How can he make the fox break?" said Vavasor; and as his voice was
by no means enco