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former, in a rather high voice, "that see'd the hunters last evening, is come back again, and wishes to know whether you'll let him have a trial."

"Impossible, at present," responded the dealer, "say there's a 'party' in the office who has the refusal of them; if he declines, Ỉ shall be happy to wait upon his lordship to-morrow morning at the Clarendon."

Jem Morecraft bowed acquiescence, and I was again alone with Mr. Dowdeswell; there was a silence for a few seconds, which I summoned up resolution to break, by saying that I admired the horses extremely-that the character given of them by Mr. Beaufort was excellent, and if two hundred and twenty guineas would buy them, and they were warranted sound, I would give him a check for the money.

Mr. Dowdeswell appeared to be highly perplexed at my offer.

"Mr. Beaufort was sich a gentleman, that he hardly dare propose a less sum than he had put upon the horses, and yet to sell the two together would save the expense of keeping his

groom in London," arguing to himself in the above manner, he finally concluded by saying,

Well, Sir, my orders are to sell, and as Mr. Beaufort cannot go abroad until he has got rid of his stud groom, and his entire hunting establishment, I must accept your offer; and should he be hard upon me, I must give up my commission; that will go towards squaring the account, and I likes to act conscientiously on such occasions-a man in my business has nothing but character to support him.”

"How very liberal !" I exclaimed, and taking up a pen, wrote him an order upon Messrs. Cox and Greenwood for the amount.

"I will send early to-morrow morning for the horses," I exclaimed, in a voice that I imagined would surprise two "cockneys" who had been attracted to the spot, "I shall ride 'Marmion' with the royal stag-hounds. Good

afternoon."

"Good arternoon, Captin," said Jem, "hope you'll remember the ostler."

A crown piece rewarded his labours, Harry Sharpe also put in his claim, which was acknow

ledged, and I drove off, thoroughly satisfied with myself. No Lord Mayor that ever entered Guildhall in the pomp and circumstance of civic dignity-no parish beadle that ever swaggered through a crowd of gaping young urchins, felt so proud as I did, when I told my groom, who was waiting for me at the door of the hotel, that he was to call at daylight for the horses, and take the two wonders of the hunting world to Botham's at Salt Hill, to be ready for me at eleven o'clock; adding that I should ride 'Marmion' myself, and that he was to mount 'Shamrock' as my second horse.

After dressing for the evening, for in those days, loose paletots and tweed trowsers were not considered a proper toilet even for the theatre, I strolled to Limmer's in the hopes of finding some friend or acquaintance to whom I could converse on my new purchase.

Limmer's! what a history might be written of your walls! It was here that the " elegant extracts" congregated after the celebrated courtmartial, which was the cause of removing them. from a regiment they had done honour to, and

which gave rise to the following squib, that appeared in the organ of bon-ton.

FASHIONABLE ARRIVALS.

Yesterday, at the Prince of Wales' Hotel, Conduit Street, four-and-twenty officers, late of the 10th Royal Hussars.

It was in the coffee-room at Limmer's, that the quarrel took place between Lord Camelford and Mr. Best, which ended so fatally to the former. It was here that every man of note in the fashionable, sporting, military, naval, or country gentleman world was to be found from early morn to the small hours after midnight.

How many challenges have been penned, how many love epistles have been written, how many civil excuses to creditors have been indited, how many importunate appeals to moneylenders have been made, how many books for the Derby, Oaks and St. Leger have been cast up in the small snuggery called the writingroom! How many men have gone from Lim

mer's, in the hopes of winning thousands, and have returned beggars! Were half the "sayings and doings" of this far-famed house made known to the public, they would eclipse in interest all the memoirs, diaries, reminiscences, anecdotes, lives and adventures that have emanated from the press during the last half century. "Limmer's as it was, with anecdotes of its past patrons and frequenters," would take the light reading world by storm, and make the fame as well as the fortune of the author.

I have digressed upon my way to this wellknown spot, where I found the one-legged messenger, already mentioned, at the door, and the trusty John Collin waddling to the bar to get a view of the new-comer.

"What say you, Sir, to a glass of the Prince of Wales's mixture ?" inquired the latter.

t

By all means," I responded.

"Ah! these are the very best I ever had," said the insinuating Monsieur Renaud, as he unfolded a paper parcel, containing a new importation of French kid gloves of the most

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