Fair Bride (from over the water-to her Husband, a great Sportsman). "OH, I RECKON IT'S JUST LOVELY, CHARLES! BUT SAY,
THERE GOING TO BE A BAND?"

ISN'T

Old Lady (to Photographer). "I DON'T MIND ABOUT A GOOD LIKENESS, SORRY, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T COME ANY NEARER, BUT I'LL STAY HERE YOU KNOW. BUT I MUST HAVE A PRETTY PICTURE!"

A SPORTING VIGIL.

gestion that he should tamper with the
truth, and assert, in public, that he had
killed the extra one. With a lofty scorn,
he said that he did not care to imperil his
salvation for the sake of one miserable
duck.

"From IGNOTUS GREEN BLUFFINGTON, 2,
Under-the-Pump Court, Temple, to NIMROD
POUNCER, Foxbrush Hall, Sportingshire.
"Yes; will come by six-thirty train to-
morrow night."

un

HERE is no keener
man living, in the
world of sport,
than Pouncer,
And with lawyer-like punctuality, I did
"Sport et præ-
Now, I myself am not of a sporting turn arrive by the train mentioned. POUNCER
terea nihil!" he of mind, and do not profess to know any had come to meet me, and no sooner were
gaily cries. "It's thing about the matter unless you would we seated in his high' dog-cart, and bowl-
the only thing call a little "putting" in the back garden ing along over the three miles of road
worth living for.' sport. But as a singularly clear-headed which lay between the railway station and
Pouncer certainly and astute lawyer-perhaps I ought not to the Hall, than he commenced to
is a wonderful fel- say this of myself, but I do-Pouncer burden his mind to me.
"Fact is, my
low. Does every- knew, of course, to whom he should apply dear Bluffington, I am having a very
thing well. He when in any difficulty or doubt, and just anxious time of it. My horse, Golden
tells me so him- before Christmas, he wrote, imploring me Fleece, is favourite for the Grand Christmas
self; and I believe to come down to him at Foxbrush Hall, his Steeplechase at Mudbury. He is going
I am merely stat-place in Sportingshire. "Never mind the on well in his preparation; no horse could
fee," ran the letter; "I want you to help be doing better. But to my horror and
me in a serious difficulty." And although, amazement, Police-Sergeant Maresnest
as I have already said, I am a lawyer of called on me yesterday and said that-
some considerable repute (Mr. Curtis-
Bennett, the last magistrate I defended a
prisoner before, remarked, on the convic-

ing well-known facts when I say that no man can stalk a grilse (am not quite sure what a grilse is, but fancy it is a kind of deer), hunt a hound, dynamite a stream for trout, or knock down a pheasant with a stick, on the moors, in finer style than this

"From information received," I broke in, with an astute smile.

"Quite right, my dear fellow; I wonder how you guessed that?" he resumed, in admiring tones. "You must be unnaturally sharp."

"Ah! well, never mind." I smiled again, and it really seemed to inspire poor Pouncer with confidence in my acute powers of intuition. "Go on and finish your story.'

"Well, the Sergeant said that, 'from information received,' he had reason to believe that-hush! sh!!" and Pouncer looked mysteriously all around in the deep gloom before uttering another word, though I am sure no one was within half a mile of us; "put your ear closer to me -to believe that an attempt would be made, this very night, to 'nobble' the favourite!-sh!"

"Merciful Powers! you don't say so?" I exclaimed. I am not sure that I quite knew what 'nobble' meant, but did not care to admit this to Pouncer. And I evidently exercised sound judgment in using an astonished and slightly horrified tone of voice in speaking thus.

The point is, how to prevent it, eh?" he went on.

"all-round" sportsman. Only last season, he attracted great attention in the huntingfield by a most remarkable performance. His horse galloped up to a gate, and then topped suddenly just as Pouncer thought he was going to jump it. But even this could not check a really keen man, and Pouncer easily cleared his horse's head and the gate, landing safely on his feet in the field beyond. Very few horsemen would do such a thing as that, I imagine. The M.F.H. exclaimed that he had never seen such a sight in his life. And Pouncer himself never brags about it, never even mentions the subject; a mutual friend told me of the incident. Then Pouncer is a cricketer and golfer; he races, fishes, yachts; and as to his shooting, I have been told (young Chaffaway was my informant) that Pouncer is the identical man who made that extraordinary bag of 999 wild duck in one day; and that, when some ill-natured badinage was flung at him about the number falling just short of the thousand, he indignantly repudiated a sug

Of

tion of my client, that if all criminals were
defended in a similar manner, justice would
oftener be done), I was not at the moment
overwhelmed with work-fact is, the public
don't much care to employ any one who
is rather above the average in point of
ability; no man likes to feel dwarfed in
the presence of his own lawyer-and so I
determined to go to Pouncer's aid.
course, I couldn't leave town without a
certain amount of sacrifice of my clients'
interests. For instance, I was obliged to
go down to Toodleton County Court
(13s. 4d.), and get a postponement of an
action to recover three and sixpence, in
which I had been retained for the plaintiff;
and I also had to depute my clerk to
defend a client of mine who was charged
at the Worship Street Police Court with
pewter pot stealing, and-well, I think
that was about all. These matters satis-
factorily provided for, I wired Pouncer as
follows:

I never saw the fee.

Driving from the Station.