about his horses and his ridin' till I saw you were fairly away.'

'You did well,' exclaimed Lord Scamperdale, patting Jack on the back; 'you
did well, my old buck-o'-wax; and, by Jove! we'll have a bottle of port--a
bottle of port, as I live,' repeated his lordship, as if he had made up his
mind to do a most magnificent act.

'But what's happened you behind?--what's happened you behind?' asked Jack,
as his lordship turned to the fire, and exhibited his docked tail.

'Oh, hang the coat!--it's neither here nor there,' replied his lordship;
'hat neither,' he added, exhibiting its crushed proportions. 'Old
Blossomnose did the coat; and as to the hat, I did it myself--at least, old
Daddy Longlegs and I did it between us. We got into a grass-field, of
which they had cut a few roods of fence, just enough to tempt a man out of
a very deep lane, and away we sailed, in the enjoyment of fine sound sward,
with the rest of the field plunging and floundering, and holding and
grinning, and thinking what fools they were for not following my
example--when, lo and behold! I got to the bottom of the field, and found
there was no way out--no chance of a bore through the great thick, high
hedge, except at a branchy willow, where there was just enough room to
squeeze a horse through, provided he didn't rise at the ditch on the far
side. At first I was for getting off; indeed, had my right foot out of the
stirrup, when the hounds dashed forrard with such energy--looking like
running--and remembering the tremendous climb I should have to get on to
old Daddy's back again, and seeing some of the nasty jealous chaps in the
lane eyeing me through the fence, thinking how I was floored, I determined
to stay where I was; and gathering the horse together, tried to squeeze
through the hole. Well, he went shuffling and sliding down to it, as though
he were conscious of the difficulty, and poked his head quietly past the
tree, when, getting a sight of the ditch on the far side, he rose, and
banged my head against the branch above, crushing my hat right over my
eyes, and in that position he carried me through blindfold.'

'Indeed!' exclaimed Jack, turning his spectacles full upon his lordship,
and adding, 'it's lucky he didn't crack your crown.'

'It is,' assented his lordship, feeling his head to satisfy himself that he
had not done so.

'And how did you lose your tail?' asked Jack, having got the information
about the hat.

'The tail! ah, the ta