the run described. He laughed at the chains and neckcloth, and admired the pluck and sportsmanship of the hero; and the next time he came out he had dropped the chain, and loosened his leathers by degrees the neckcloth disappeared, and with it the pin, until at length the most fastidious could complain of nothing but his whiskers. Thus, you must select the peculiarities of an individual to correct the errors of a whole class. This man might or might not exist as a whole, sufficient that he had the distinguishing features of a class. Sportsman is a noble title in its true sense; but I doubt whether Mr.

or Lord —would be glad to see themselves personally in print as the representatives of even so noble a body as that: they would prefer to take qualities which they enjoyed in common with good men. I know many a "hard rider," who, however proud he may be of his steeple-chase whip, and the way he clears himself by a gate or a bullfinch from the crowd, would be sorry to be made the "riding stock" for his rivals, though he may be much flattered by an acknowledgment of his presence, ἓν προμάχοισι.

And now, my dear fellow, I shall bid you adieu, feeling satisfied that, should my remarks fall into other hands than they are intended for, the most susceptible of ridicule will be unable to turn them into personality. You want a true and correct account of our doings in this part of the world: you shall have them, as interesting to a lover of the finest hunting country in England; and when instruction or amusement can be added without offence or sacrifice of truth in detail, depend upon the industry of Yours, &c.,

Feb. 4, 1847.

THE PROFIT AND LOSS.

BY THE OXONIAN.

SCRIBBLE.

A man that's born and bred a sportsman can't help feeling proud of it. I should think it was so all the world over, as I am sure it is here. A man that has "a propensity " must show and suffer for it sooner or later. I should think it was so with all, as I am too sure it has been with me. At school it came out, as the M. D.'s say, pretty kind on me. Derby winners all off by heart, foxes' brushes always to be found in the play-box, and a tolerably good recollection of last Christmas's equestrian performances, brought me a proper share of reverence that a change in the sovereignty of the County Hounds did everything to establish. A new master for the hounds brought a new boy for the doctor. The new boy's father was a friend of my father; and the next saint's day saw a pair of us off for the kennels, big in white cords and cover hacks. That did it outright; his father kept hounds, my father kept race-horses; and certainly if ever the proper qualification for a sportsman brought becoming dignity with it, here we enjoyed it in full force. Everybody bowed down before it; fellows whose mothers and sisters went to court every time the court went itself; long-pedigreed

gentlemen with uncles in the Lords;" young Pluti, with family fortunes in the Indies-all alike sung small before our rather overdone terms and technicalities. The very masters occasionally "opened" on it; and the action of quadrupedante putrem, the force of sunt quos curriculo, or anything of that sort, generally ended in coming to us for an authority, or an example. We had all the pride of the sportsman here, and, upon my life, I really believe, without ever having once suffered for the propensity.

My hobbydyhoyish" days followed suit about as naturally as could be expected. For fidus Achates I won't answer, as he started to stifle his early impressions amongst the rajahs and tigers. For self, however, the Fates were propitious. At nineteen, I subscribed to the "Calendar," and studied the "Stud Book." At two-and-twenty, I could handicap horses-aye, and weigh them well too. The propensity began to develop itself in earnest; and as fast and firm as ever came the love of " a bit of coaching across some of us, came the desire for "a bit of plating" on me.

"Nice, quiet, clean little place this, waiter-market-town, tooisn't it?"

"Oh dear, yes, sir; corn and cattle market every Saturday, and butter and egg market every Wednesday as well." "Ah! indeed; and any sport too?"

"Beg pardon, sir,-any what?"

Any sport-any racing?"

"Racing, sir! Races every autumn; two days sir; balls and ordinaries held at this house, sir; very capital sport indeed, I'm told, sir. Got the bill in the bar, sir; perhaps you'd like to see it."

And away goes the waiter, and back he comes again with what he calls "the bill of sport in one hand, and the Tally-ho sauce in the other. Shows what it is to be a sportsman; how the pride will out, and the propensity-as a bill of another sort will no doubt tell us to-morrow morning-suffer for it. Sportsmen hold a very high, liberal kind of character; and landlords always do their part to make them work up to it.

But to get back to my individual propensity-the bit of plating-the start for which was hardly as good as I had counted on. Two legs-or rather, to be correct, as he'd only three when we "claimed" him-a leg and a half on the sly in a hurdle jumper was the way it broke out in. "To pay half the expenses and have half the profits"-with that most sagacious insertion "if any"-was the agreement; to pay all the expenses, and have no profits, more like my actual part in it. The Co. in the concern, who managed, trained, and rode "Daring Ranger" himself, had got a name for doing things rather close; a vulgar notion which our "account,' I must say, did much to belie. Everything,

from weights and scales, to boots and chambermaid, had been done en prince. So astounding, indeed, sounded the sum total, that when my friend, in something like a fit of offended dignity, offered to take my share of the nag for my share of the bill, I jumped at once at the exchange, and let him in, in a moment, as "sole proprietor." Of course the only plan for bettering this was to stop up the propensity altogether, or to have a plater all to myself; and of course everybody can give a tolerably good guess as to which of the two events was the more likely

to come off first. From a very worthy man-a public trainer, who lived in the neighbourhood, I learnt that nothing was so likely to answer as a little racing in a quiet way, in support of which opinion (I suppose) he called my attention to the case of one Captain Sullivan. The captain, a patron of a little racing in a quiet way, and my Mentor's establishment in particular, "followed it up till it followed him to Dover; and then the same paper which announced his departure for the continent, also contained an intimation to this effect-that if a certain Captain S. did not take away his mare" the Mountain Maid," and her pay the same time, she would be sold forthwith to pay them. Considering how many there would have been too happy to take the captain himself, it was by no means extraordinary to find he paid no attention to this piece of courtesy, and as he didn't, I did the expenses. Changing her colours, but not her quarters, the Mountain Maid commenced her fourth year and second season in my name.

expenses

at

And an exciting season we had of it too! The way Sam Mann used to sit down and grind his teeth at my poor filly was something awful to see, and the heart with which she continued to answer him, something wondrous to look upon. "Game little animal that, sir, as ever was stripped;" and so she was certainly if you came to that; but that wasn't all. Second, second, and second, without end; nothing better, or as some knowing gentlemen affirmed, nothing worse. Had there ever been such a thing in classic story as a female Tantalus, I should cer tainly have insulted the captain by changing her name; but as I believe there is not, on we went, day after day, and week after week, running for every heat and everything. The round of rather shy meetings we visited that summer, had they possessed one grain of gratitude, would have clubbed up for a handsome testimonial in return for the vast addition to their sport our presence had occasioned. As it really happened however, they didn't; and so, with a very spotless, profitless, maiden reputation, we wound up the year with one try more close home. Here, mirabile dictu! amidst the shouts of our friends and relations, and the very audible hisses of Mr. Mann, the Mountain Maid did manage to win -a heat-the first heat-and to spring a sinew-a back sinew-in the second. Having achieved this agreeable surprise, she hobbled back to nurse, leaving her "worthy owner, as they called him at dinner, with some fearful forebodings touching those travelling expenses he had already had a taste of. Entry here,' ""stake there," paid to jockey," &c. &c., with all the entertaining sundries of "self and lad," over and over again. If they have only had the taste too to do it en prince, the propensity to suffer for will come "all his own " with a vengeance!

The fortunes of this day, though, didn't end here, for I had found out another propensity quite as difficult to conquer as even a bit of plating. I was hit hard again; aye, and by a pair of black eyes that I had passed over a hundred and fifty times before. But then," the sweet sympathy" is the very secret of love after all; and to meet those sparklers all sparkle as the Mountain Maid ran home something like a clever winner in number one, and to mark them shaded over as she crept in something like a break down in number two, was more than enough for me. They were so glad, and then so sorry; the gratulation and consolation followed so fervidly, I couldn't but feel it; and opportunity came so aptly, I couldn't but follow up what I felt. My racing was over, for that year

at any rate; and it would be still some time yet ere my half-hack, halfhunter, came into the more worthy half of his work; nothing for it, then, but to indulge the propensity, and so away we went according-ly. A fairer match-maker, I will say, though she's looking over my shoulder, and thus gets the pull on the editor, never was needed; and by the first Monday in November, as they date it at Melton, I fancied we were getting to something like terms.

"Do you like butter'd toast ?"

"Yes."

"Butter'd on both sides ?" "Yes."

“Will you marry me?"

And here, according to all the rules of common delicacy, our sweet sympathy came to a bit of a check, which was still got tolerably well over with an appeal that must be made to " my aunt. This, though, was more than I'd prepared for; and good-collar'd one, as I flattered myself to be, I confess I couldn't "come again so early as that; so

the end of it was that Emmy must ask herself. Now the idea of a man to a maiden aunt is always dreadful enough any how; but when that man came to be singled out as "the Oxonian," it was all U. P. in a minute.

"No, my dear girl-no! If you have any regard for my good opinion-(i. e. any hopes of the little Pontybwnbyllyn estate)-I am sure you'll think no more of him. No chance of happiness to be had with such a husband as that."

Hearing this wholesale condemnation, Emmy naturally began to whimper a little, and to "know the reason why ?"

'William's very steady, aunt; he doesn't drink,

you know."

"No-not yet, perhaps; that's a vice that's more common after than before marriage; but it isn't that."

"And he goes to church every Sunday morning."

"Oh! yes, miss; I can see people in church as well as you, I hope; though, perhaps, without looking so constantly at them. It isn't that." "And he doesn't swear, dear aunt."

"No; I really trust he does not dis

"Except, to be sure, when he was very violent in his protestations to me, and that

"Thank Heaven, I know nothing at all about."

And then came the cigars, and as it "wasn't that "either-not his drinking, smoking, swearing, or church-going-Emmy became a little more confident, offered to "give it up," and at length, pressing the old lady rather closely, got out the grand secret in these words :

"He keeps a race-horse, Miss Emma; and in my opinion a man that keeps a race-horse will very soon find he can't keep a wife."

That was a stopper certainly; and the old woman gave it out as if she thought so too. If I'd been ruined by railroads, or found guilty of forgery, there might have been hopes; but he keeps a race-horse" was too much. Poor Emmy shut up shop in half a second, and was as jealous as possible of our mutual acquaintance--the Mountain Maid --the next time she saw me. Evidently it was a "to be or not to be;" and "deeply engaged as I was, and somewhat staggered with our summer's run, of second-rate success, no wonder I soon struck under.

P

for the turf, and

The marrying man against the racing man—“ heads down it came for matrimony in the shape of a woman. A breeder of the forbidden fruit, as if to support me in my good resolution, very politely became "deceased "just at the time, and into his catalogue went "my first love." At the end of the year, with a staring coat and a bandaged leg, she was put up, and knocked down for fifty minus what I had originally paid over for her on the gallant captain's account. No matter, I was married, and one propensity had to suffer for the other.

*

Whether 'twas the want of a race-horse or not, I won't pretend to say; but certainly, somehow or other, I seemed to run on pretty well as a Benedick. Drank a little, smoked a little, went to church a little, and got the credit for certain other small virtues of the same kind. So well, indeed, did I behave, that, as if in return for the couple of ponies I had sacrificed at the sale, aunty stood "Sam" for a pair of galloways— fourteen hands, even steppers, swish tails, small heads, and all "commy fow." These went a great way towards pleasing everybody; made my half-hunter a whole one outright, and gave the ladies a taste for horseflesh I hoped might improve. And so it did, for when the autumn came again, and the races came again, they volunteered at once for a drive to the course, and so of course to the course we went. There's a very fine line to draw with the world between going to a race and keeping a racehorse

"I thought so once, but now I know it!"

Well, how d'ye do? What's to win the Handicap ?" Third race on the card, and the race of the day. Two Newmarketers, an elegant extract from Goodwood, another from Danebury, and, strange enough, my old venture, the Mountain Maid (now the property of a Mr. Smith,) going for it. Even on Newmarket; three to one against John Day, and anything you like to ask from a pound of Goold to a pewter-pot about the plater. She's well in too-5 yrs. 7st. 1lb., and just her distance-two miles and a half-shouldn't wonder to see her wear 'em out now, if the leg don't give. And Sam Mann again, in the old pink and white jacket, going to ride her.

"How d'ye do, Mr. Mann ?"

"How do you do, sir? Hope I see you well."

Pretty well, thank you. So you're going to make play with the old mare, I hear?"

66

Why, yes, sir; keep her in front as long as we can."

And keep her in front he did. First time passed the stand with a clear lead, and going well within herself.

"Ah! she'll come back to 'em by next time," sneered the even bettors.

But she didn't, though. "Never reached her at all, sir." Won in a canter by three lengths, and the third beaten half a distance!

Tally-ho!" roared the second steward as he galloped by our station. "Tally-ho!" echoed somebody else, quite as loud, though he wasn't a steward at all; and then commenced " a scene "round my little carriage, which the Derby homeward reporters would phrase as one "that beggars description." For the first few seconds or so, I felt much inclined to play Ducrow on the backs of the ponies-why, I'm sure I can't say.