he'll not kill
thirty in ten years.'

His lordship then picked the letter from the floor, and resumed where he
had left off.

'"I expect you will meet Tom Washball, Lumpleg, and Charley Slapp."'

'A very pretty party,' observed Jack, adding, 'Wouldn't be seen goin' to a
bull-bait with any on 'em.'

'Nor I,' replied his lordship.

'Birds of a feather,' observed Jack.

'Just so,' said his lordship, resuming his reading.

'"I think I have a hound that may be useful to you--" The devil you have!'
exclaimed his lordship, grinding his teeth with disgust. 'Useful to _me_,
you confounded haberdasher!--you hav'n't a hound in your pack that I'd
take. "I think I have a hound that may be useful to you--"' repeated his
lordship.

'A Beaufort Justice one, for a guinea!' interrupted Jack, adding, 'He got
the name into his head at Oxford, and has been harping upon it ever since.'

'"I think I have a hound that may be useful to you--"' resumed his
lordship, for the third time. '"It is Old Merriman, a remarkably stout,
true line hunting hound; but who is getting slow for me--" Slow for you,
you beggar!' exclaimed his lordship; 'I should have thought nothin' short
of a wooden 'un would have been too slow for you. "He's a six-season
hunter, and is by Fitzwilliam's Singwell out of his Darling. Singwell was
by the Rutland Rallywood out of Tavistock's Rhapsody. Rallywood was by Old
Lonsdale's--" Old Lonsdale's!--the snob!' sneered Lord Scamperdale--'"Old
Lonsdale's Palafox, out of Anson's--" Anson's!--curse the fellow,' again
muttered his lordship--'"out of Anson's Madrigal. Darling was by old
Grafton's Bolivar, out of Blowzy. Bolivar was by the Brocklesby; that's
Yarborough's--" That's Yarborough's!' sneered his lordship, 'as if one
didn't know that as well as him--"by the Brocklesby; that's Yarborough's
Marmion out of Petre's Matchless; and Marmion was by that undeniable hound,
the--" the--what?' asked his lordship.

'Beaufort Justice, to be sure!' replied Jack.

'"The Beaufort Justice!"' read his lordship, with due emphasis.

'Hurrah!' exclaimed Jack, waving the dirty, egg-stained, mustardy copy of
_Bell's Life_ over his head. 'Hurrah! I told you so.'

'But hark to Justice!' exclaimed his lordship, resuming his reading. '"I've
always been a great admirer of the Beaufort Justice blood--"'

'No doubt,' said Jack; 'it's the only blood you know.'

'"It was in great repute in the Badminton country in old Beaufort's time,
with