a A •) t* M UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES . v NEWTON DOGVANE. A STORY OF ENGLISH COUNTRY LIFE. UY FRANCIS FRANCIS. WITH Illustrations &n 3mlt IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. i • -- LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, SUCCESSORS TO HENRY COLBURN, 13, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1859. Vie right of Translation is reserved. LONDON : R. BORN. PRINTER, GLOUCESTER STREET, PARK STREET, regent's PARK. ... . . ...» » • Ly PI 4 1 NEWTON DOGVANE. \ PREPARATORY, AND SHOWING HOW MR. NEWTON DOGVANE FIRST IMBIBED A TASTE FOR FIELD SPORTS. A long preface is like a long grace ; it keeps you from your meat, while the viands \ grow cold, the vegetables indigestible, and \ the sauces lumpy. Who Mr. Newton Dog- $ vane was, can be explained in a few words — he was the son of his father ; and the whole city, as well as Mr. Dogvane, junior, knew at least what his father was. Dogvane, the elder, was a successful drysalter, who had begun life upon small means, but by dint of minding his own business, and looking more after his own VOL. I. B 2 NEWTON DOGVANE. affairs than those of his neighbours, he had managed to get together a decent amount of worldly goods, and was generally reported to be a safe man ; a man whose word was as good as his bond — and that is no light meed of praise in these degenerate times. Mr. Dogvane never speculated out of his business, and not very largely in it. He had married early an estimable woman, and that one word describes her better than a page of eulogy. Mr. Newton Dogvane, to whose exploits we shall more particularly direct our attention, had commenced his education at a commercial academy in the neighbourhood of Highgate ; and his early experience in the wild sports of the North, South, East, and AVcst of London, had been confined to the capturing of tittle- huts in the ponds between Highgate and Hampstead, and the demolishing of confiding wrens and robins with a horse-pistol tied to a Btick. The said weapon, having been acquired at a vbs\ outlay of pocket-money, was kept, m:\yton DOGYANE. under vows of inviolable secresy, by the head gardener, who was incited thereto by sundry bribes of sixpences and shillings, bestowed by the youthful Newton on the functionary who held the above post under the Rev. Jabez Whackstern, instructor of youth, and keeper of the academy aforesaid. Oh ! those half-holidays, when Newton and his fidus Achates, a lad named Bowers, fami liarly known as Ted, were wont to sally forth I with the piece of ordnance carefully concealed under their jackets, and a penn'orth of Curtis and Harvey's double extra fine-grained (they wouldn't have had it out of any other canister upon any consideration), and half a pound of No. 7's, with an old copy-book for loadings ! The way in which they examined the outlets, like merchantmen about to break through a blockade, to see that " That Old Sneakum," the usher, was out of the way, and then the painfully easy and unconstrained manner in which they sidled, or rather melted away B 2 4 NEWTON DOGVANE. through the gate ! — or were, mayhap, met out of bounds by the awful Whackstern him- self, and sent back to pass the afternoon of promised enjoyment in the dreary and for- saken school-room, transcribing a swinging " Impo " — the one with a stick, rudely fa- shioned like a gun-stock, and the other with the horse-pistol, (loaded possibly), stivffed up the backs of their jackets. The shifts they were put to at tea-time, and at prayers, to keep the contraband articles out of sight, until they could return them to the gardener! These were things to be remembered. But when their precautions proved suc- cessful, and they got out without being seen, then, to watch the gravity of their proceed- ings ! When safe in the fields, how the horse- pistol and the deputy stock were drawn from their hiding-place, and connected, secundum artem, with string! Now the process of Loading, with a charge large enough for three pistols, \\:i> gone through; and "a bird in NEWTON DOG VANE. 5 the hand is worth two in the bush," perchance was torn from the commercial-practical copy- book, and rammed well home ; and the strine fastened to the trigger — Newton being the bearer of the weapon, and Ted captain of the gun — and the game being a-foot, a robin, wren, or possibly a noble hedge-sparrow was spied ; how r they stole forward, step by step, with the caution of lied Indians on a scalp hunt, lest the game should take wing and baffle the attack, ere they could get within the prescribed range (two yards and under); and when at length all was ready, and Newton had taken deadly and deliberate aim at the unconscious warbler for the space of two minutes, and the word was passed to " pull away," and the result was a snick, or a flash in the pan — what hammering of the unlucky flint ensued, while the bird flew away to another hedge some twenty yards off, and a new trail had to be struck. Or, when the victim fell pierced with a No. 7, and, being 6 NEWTON DOGVANE. only winged, had to be scrambled for amongst the brambles and thorns, and Avas finally pouched — what songs of triumph were sung as it was borne away, to be picked in the bed- room at midnight; the feathers, &c. (though the i)v, were on one occasion left in, the game being by mistake cooked wookcock-fashion) were collected and disposed of, and the remains — some quarter of an ounce of man- gled flesh — were scientifically cooked, on pen- knifes, over surreptitious candles and lucifers obtained by the ever-ready Ted at the all-sorts shop. What a delicious feast they held! Albeit to the unbiassed taste the flavour of tallow and smoke would have been evident — but never mind, the penny jam-turnovers and the ginger-beer went a great way ; and they envied not the Doctor his hot snack and port- negus, nor the wretched "Sneakum," that mosl miserable of ushers, his "little snack" dry bread, high flavoured Dutch, and about half a pint of curiously thin ale. Poor fellow! NEWTON DOGVANE. 7 Yes, indeed, those were days to be remem- bered for many a long year to come; and so was that holiday, when on llampstead Heath they rode races on the gallant donkey of the north, or, mayhap, the fiery pony of the heath, exacting their six-pennyworth of donkey or pony flesh, like youthful Shylocks, to the last grain, and enacting the White Horse of the Peppers, or the Wild Huntsman of the Hartz, as set forth in a terrific weekly publication, comprising an exciting woodcut and sixteen columns of terror for one penny. — Who does not remember that awful print, with its Murder-holes — pirates who boiled their vic- tims in oil — highwaymen and scoundrels of every phase, who shone forth therein, amidst all their deeds of blood and villainy, as so many heroes, whom a mean illiberal system, called Law, had suddenly cut off in the very midst of their noble and gallant exploits? Who hasn't waked at midnight with stiffened hair and perspiring limbs from horrible dreams 8 NEWTON DOGVANE. resulting from that agreeable publication, and heavy scrap-pie (misnamed beefsteak), apples, and gingerbread combined? But time has given all this its accustomed shading and softening long since ; and not only so, but has even hallowed these recollections, until we say with delight, "Ah! those were the days ! " Who doubts it ? Those were the days ! And many an old man, as Avell as he of middle age, will echo, " Those were the days ! " " Oh happy years ! Once more, who would not be a hoy!" CHAPTER I. SHOWS HOW NEWTON PROGRESSES IN THE ARTS OF VENERY, &C. We will not follow up this portion of the history of Newton's boyish days — that would be at once tedious and unnecessary. Suffice it to say, that in due time the pistol was dis- covered, and Newton and Ted sent to their friends. The gardener was dismissed, and the pistol was promoted to the office of guar- dian of the Doctor's strong box, while NeAvton was promoted to his father's counting-house. But, true to its bent, the "twig" would at times steal forth on sporting excursions, and the roach and gudgeon of the New River, and 10 NEWTON DOGVANE. the finches of Clapham, became the objects of Newton's solicitude. Newton had accumu- lated, by dint of saving, a sum sufficient in his own mind to purchase a gun which he had seen labelled 14 & 6 in the New-cut, and hanging on the outside of a shop kept by a highly-preserved child of Judah, with the needful accompaniments. For in that shop — the ''cynosure of neighbouring sporting eyes" — were stored choice articles of every descrip- tion, to aid the experienced or inexperienced sportsman in his destruction of the ferce naturcB of his native land and elsewhere. Guns were there, double and single; rilles were there, and tremendous things for boar destroying, and other still more tremendous things for elephant and rhinoceros smashing, upon the principles laid down by the acconi- plished Mr. GordoD Gumming; and powdcr- homs were there, pouches and shot-belts; likewise fishing-rods, for bottom-fishing, lor fly-fishing, for trolling, and spinning, and long NEWTON DOG VANE. 11 canes like barbers' poles for the river Lea, and of salmon-rods a store, creels and landing- nets, too, and gaff-hooks, and leisters, and eel- spears, otter-spears, with dog-chains, badger- tongs, rabbit-hutches, cat-traps and rat-traps, stoat, and weasel, and raole-traps, greyhound- slips and couples, with leading-strings, &c, &c. ? — not forgetting the whips, spurs, bits, bats, stumps, balls, boxing-gloves, dumb-bells, foils and masks, fives-bats and racquets, toxopho- lite tools, and targets, and so on — anything, everything, — a complete sportsman's cheap arcana, all labelled and ticketed at the lowest possible remunerating price, as per placard, and vet all to be had at a considerable reduction by an experienced chapman ; for the Israelite, though he spoileth the unwary Egyptian, will rather spoil him of the smallest known sum, than not at all — so pleasant and alluring is the chink of precious metal to the ear of the child of Israel. Mo. Shecabs was the name of the proprietor 12 NEWTON DOGVANE. of all these treasures, and Mo. Shecabs stood at the door of his dwelling smoking a cheroot — for he was an aristocrat in his way — and waiting to take in any customers that chance might send him. Enter Newton, bent on securing fourteen and sixpenny worth of imminent clanger. Newton loquitur. What's the price of that rusty gun, Mister ? Mo. (indignans). Rus(y ! s'help me ! Vat d'ye mean ? that 'ere Joe Manton ! There ain't a spec on it. I vas offered a pound for that, last veek. Newton. Why did'nt you sell it? Mo. (never disconcerted). 'Cos I vas a fool. Fourteen and sixh the prish ish. Firsht-rate killer. Mishtare Caps shot his shelebrated match at a undred pigeons with that gun. Newton. Did lie kill 'em all? Mo. Kill 'cm all! In course he did. Newton. Did he though ! Then what did he ever part with it for ? NEWTON DOGVANE. 13 Mo. Vot does anyone ever part with any- tliink for? they doesn't give 'em away, I suppose. Newton. I s'pose not. You don't, anyhow, asking fourteen and six for that thing. I'll give you ten. Mo. S'help me, young man, you'd better co home and study rithmetic, with the prish of old iron, house rents, good vills, and fixters. Wots to become o' my family ? I can't sacri- fice things. Newton, (turning away). Oh ! very well. Mo. (anxiously). Here shtop a bit now. I tell you vat I'll do, I'll knock off shixpence. Newton, (sarcastically). You don't mean it ! What'll become of your family, if you go on sacrificing things in this way ? No, no — there's Zeb Levy's got a better one for twelve. (Going.) Mo. (detaining him). But vat d'ye vant ? -Vat d'ye vant ? you vouldn't ave me rob my- self ! Take this powder-horn and this shot- 14 NEWTON DOGYAXE. belt now for a pound. That'll do now — take 'em away afore I alters my mind. Newton. Fifteen, for the lot. Much chaffering and loud vociferation on the part of Mo. ensued, who vowed that he was giving things away every day — ruining himself and beggaring his family by his philanthropy and liberality — by dint of which Mo. screws Newton up to offer another shilling. Mo. Say seventeen, and take 'em away. Newton. Sixteen shillings. Mo. Oh! I can't do it. Its no use. (He enters the shop, smoking violently, and Kewton walks sloioly to Zeb Levy's ; as he stops, how- ever, and is on ///c point of being collared and dragged into a deal by that gentleman, he is toitched by a sheriff-officer-Uke tap on the should, /'. ) Mo. There now ; you'd petter come and fetch them things away, cos my boy aint at home, and I can't scud 'em, NEWTON 1)00 VANE. 15 Accordingly, Newton went back, after a little interchange of compliments had taken place between the rival dealers. The money- was paid, and the articles borne away in triumph, Mo. a little disgusted at not having made more than 60 per cent, by the deal. There was a wail of cats in the back garden of Newton's father's house at Brixton, that evening. Newton's papa and mamma having gone out to play a rubber at a friend's house, Newton could not rest till he had tried his treasure ; in consequence of which there was a great picking out of leaden pellets with darning needles in Brixton the next morning, and several old ladies threatened proceedings against Mr. Dogvane, sen., for damage done to their favourite tabbies — albeit Newton was, of course, truly unconscious as to who the party could have been who was be- hind the offending gun, said to have been let off in Mr. Dogvane's back garden on the evening in question. Great execution did 16 NEWTON DOGVANE Newton, during the ensuing winter, amongst the blackbirds and finches of Norwood and that ilk ; and once, happening upon a duck, which was reposing in a small pond near the Battersea fields, he poached and pouched it, and got clear away from the farmer, after a stiff run, bringing home his quarry, which he proclaimed to be wild because it had a curly feather in the tail, that being the distinction, so some one had once told him, between wild and tame ; although it turned out not only tame but tough — a venerable mallard who had seen six broods of his own begetting swim safely on the surface of the very pond where he at length met an untimely end. 17 CHAPTER II. A DAY ON THE THAMES. Mr. Dogvane, sen., was addicted to Thames angling from a punt. Folks who have walked pleasantly chatting, after a Star and Garter dinner, on a warm summer evening, through the meadows by the river side, may have seen a moderately plethoric gentleman seated in an arm-chair in a punt. In mid-stream the punt is moored. It bristles with rods, all of which are evidently fishing for themselves, for the stout gentleman is fast asleep, with a hand- kerchief over his head — the picture of comfort and contentment. An empty pie-dish is near, on which reclines the head of an attendant vol. i. c 18 NEWTON DOGVANE. fisherman, equally somnolent with the party in the chair, around which porter bottles are grouped skilfully ; and symptoms of tobacco, in the shape of various pipes, may be observed about the punt. All is peace and tranquillity. Suddenly a blue-bottle of inquiring mind perches on the ruby nose of the sleeping beauty in the chair. The blue-bottle proceeds upon a voyage of discovery, up the nose to the eyebrows — nothing worthy of remark in that direction. Back again — Hallo ! Two spacious caverns ! Now, as a member of the luue-bottle Archaeological Society, here is a phenomenon to be enquired into. So first he cautiously pi >kes his head round the corner, then carefully advances his forelegs towards the mouth of one of the caves, when — a-tishew ! — the rash archaeologist finds himself blown a yard into the air, amidst a perfect cloud of spray. In other words, the sleeper sneezes and wakes. That is Mr. Dogvane, or his pattern; he wakes up, and seizes one of the NEWTON DOG YANK. 19 rods ; kicks the recumbent figure, who strug- gles into a sitting posture ; and they forth- with make desperate efforts to catch fish — sometimes they do, but more often they don't. All this may be seen on any fine summer evening at Richmond, Twickenham, and on to Windsor, or even beyond. And, this w T as the sort of thing Mr. Dogvane was much addicted to. It was his idea of sport. " Newton, my lad," said the worthy gentle- man, one day, " I'm going down to Richmond with Tomkins, to-morrow, to fish. If you can get up in time, you may go with us ; so be ready by six o'clock, my boy." And wasn't Newton up at six ? or rather, wasn't he awake at three, or half past ? And didn't he roll, and tumble, and toss to and fro in his narrow bed ? Didn't he get up to peep out into the morning, to see what sort of a day it was likely to be ? And when, an hour or two later, it looked cloudy and warm, Newton prophesied good sport, and tried to sleep again. c2 20 NEWTON DOGVANE. Five o'clock. — Newton couldn't lie in bed any longer, so he dressed himself in haste, in order to be quite ready in time; and being, of course, three quarters of an hour too soon, he fidgetted and fussed about, alter- nately looking out of window and looking up his tackle,. Six o'clock came, at last, after many hours of (to him) tardy delay. A hasty breakfast was swallowed by Newton, and a more deliberate and substantial one on the part of the governor ; and they were, in good time, on their way to the station to catch the first train. "Now, then, New., have you got the gentles?" asked his sire. " All right, father," said Newton, displaying a large bag of lively and loathsome carrions. It might be all right to the Dogvanes ; but it was all wrong to the rest of the passengers, who were not sufficiently ardent admirers of fishing to be greatly in love with the scent of carrion-gentles. Accordingly, when they had NEWTON DOG VANE. 21 all taken their places, remarks as to smells, &c. began to be made. " Very extraordinary smell," said a whey- faced gentleman who sat opposite to Mr. Dog- vane. "Don't you perceive it, sir?" "I think I do," answered Mr. Dogvane; "Lambeth bone-and-gas works, I suppose." They were passing Lambeth. "Very bad, indeed ! Wonder the Sanitary Commissioners don't interfere. Worst place in London." "/smelt it before we came to Lambeth," quoth a mild little niim, Avho sat in one of the corners, and was muffled in a cloak. "Did you? Ah! Wind sets down the line, I suppose. Wonderful nuisance!" said Mr. Dogvane. "A-h'urra!" coughed the whey-faced gen- tleman from behind a pocket-handkerchief. But they passed Lambeth and even Vauxhall, and still the smell continued. In fact, it grew worse; the gentles, impatient of con- finement, in spite of all Newton's precautions, 22 NEWTON DOGYANE. began oozing through the bag and crawling on the floor. "Ahem!" said the little man in the cloak, fixing Mr. Dogvane with his eye. " Wind can't set two ways at once." " I apprehend not, sir, I apprehend not," said Mr. Dogvane, pugnaciously. "I've seen it do so in marine paintings, though," answered the little man. " I've seen ships sailing one way, and flags blowing another, often. I remember, in the prize cartoon . ." " Dear me ! " said one of the passengers, just as the train was leaving Putney, "what is that ? and that ? and that ? They look like maggots." "Can't 1)0," said Mr. Dogvane. "Why, I do declare, they do look like gentles." As if, under the circumstances, a gentle was the most unlikely thing in the world. But it wrould'nt do. The eyes of the little man and the whey-laced gentleman were upon him and upon the fishing tackle. NEWTON DOGVAM.. 23 " Gentles, and no mistake — for ground bait, I presume. The wind blows half a dozen ways, I think," said the little man, with a quiet smile. But the whey-faced gentleman was extremely wroth, and, bristling up, said, "You don't mean to say, sir, that you have presumed to bring a sack of live maggots into the train amongst-a-a-Christians? Guard, stop the train ! Here's a sack of maggots crawling all over us ! Stop the train instantly, 1 insist ! " They were going about thirty miles an hour, and the whey-faced man, seeing that his remonstrances were unheeded, and receiving a hot cinder in his eye from the engine, drew in his head rapidly, and, bursting with indignation, whisked his legs and feet up on to the seat, out of the w r ay of the gentles, and sat doubled up like a live capital N. Then ensued defiances and snortings, with talkings at each other, and " Can't think how people can presume to," and " Can't think how other people calling them- 24 NEWTON DOGVANE. selves," &c. &c. But it ended in smoke, and the whey-faced individual got out at Mort- lake ; Mr. Dogvane wished him good morning with sarcastic politeness ; and before he had clone explaining his grievance to the station- master, the train was at Richmond. Mr. Tomkins had gone to Richmond over- night, to have all in readiness. Accordingly, they were rowed up to a punt which was pitched opposite the Duke of Buccleugk's lawn. And Newton found himself, for the first time, bent on endeavouring to inveigle from the bosom of Old Father Thames his scaly favourites. The morning was fresh and cool, for the sun had hardly gained its power. The grass was emerald green; trees waved and rustled; birds sung; the scenery, to a smoke-dried Londoner, or indeed to anyone else, was beautiful. The fishermen predicted, as Thames fishermen always do, a fabulous take of fish. NEWTON DOGVANE. 25 First, the depth was plumbed, and the floats fixed at the requisite elevation. Then the mysterious process called ground-baiting was gone through as follows. The carrions were cast into a filthy tub, and mixed together with bran. Then portions of the mixture were kneaded up with lumps of clay, the size of oranges, and the loathsome dumplings were cast into the water for the delectation of the fishes. Then two gentles were stuck upon each hook, and, all being ready, the sport commenced. Anxiety and gravity sat upon the counte- nances of Messrs. Dogvane and Tomkins, such as befitted so weighty and all-engrossing an occupation. The tackle was dropped into the water, and allowed to swim unrestrained down the stream, as far as the rod and line would allow. Then there was a short, sharp strike, and it was brought back to the side ot the punt ; and the same thing was done over and over again, on the part of the performers, 26 NEWTON DOGVANE. with unwearied patience and little variation, many thousand times in the course of the day. It did not look very difficult to Newton. But, "Ah! sir," as old punt-fishers Avill say, " it isn't a thing to be learnt in a day." But what Avill not genius and the force of imita- tion effect ? Ere long, Newton was hammer- ing away at it as energetically as his seniors. " Bite ? " asked Mr. Dogvane of his friend. Tomkins pursed his lips, and shook his head slowly and suspiciously, looking through the water at the end of the swim, as if he could distinguish the culprit who had so narrowly escaped, and as if he Avarned him that he'd better not, as he said, "come it too often." Presently Newton struck, and pulled up a diminutive roach of some two-ounce weight. "Here's the stockdolloger," said the fisher- man. NEWTON DOG VANE. 27 "Bravo, New.!" said his father. " First fish," he continued, looking at Mr. Tomkins, who nodded approvingly, as if to say, " He'll do." Shortly after, Newton pulled up another, a little larger, and then another, a little larger still ; and yet neither Mr. Dogvane's nor Mr. Tomkins's superior skill could compass the capture of a fish. " Hem ! ha ! " coughed Tomkins. " Ground- bait here!" and two or three balls of "the mixture as before" were thrown in on Mr. TVs side, without producing any material alteration in the sport. " It's singular," remarked Mr. Tomkins, "how the fish will at times run all one way." There was a dab at Newton's float. Newton struck, and had hold of something heavy. Great excitement all through the punt — with numerous directions to " Ease him " and "Check him;" to "Take care of that punt-pole;" to "Let him run," and 28 NEWTON DOGVANE. " Now pull him m " — till Newton, panting with excitement, led into the landing-net a monster barbel of three-quarters of a pound ■weight, or thereabouts. "Hem!" coughed his father. "Ground- bait here ! " But groundbait here, or ground- bait there, made no difference. Newton beat them both hollow. The elders fumed and broke their tackle in very vexation, when they did strike a good fish ; and the fisher- man grinned behind a quart pot — for the day grew warm, and beer became desirable. The fish went off, as it is called, and not only went off, but didn't come on again. There was " a weather, or a wind, or a water, somewhere or other," according to the fisherman, which pre- vented their biting; although hundred-weights had been caught in that very pitch last week, and tons would be caught next. After this, there was a good deal of eating, drinking, and smoking; at length Mr. Tomkins and Mr. Dogvane fell asleep, and Newton, having been NEWTON DOGVANK. 29 awake since three o'clock, fell asleep too. Finally the fisherman, having eaten every thing there was to be eaten, drank all the beer there was to be drunk, and smoked all the available tobacco, fell asleep also — and the sparrows came and ate up the carrion-gentles and other baits provided for the fishes. And Newton was not very much taken with this specimen of Thames fishing, though, in after years, when he became an adept in spinning, trolling, paternostering, ledgering, fly-fishing, &c, he enjoyed many a pleasant day upon its crystal wave. 30 CHAPTER III. A DAY WITn THE SHORT TAILS. 11 1 say, Dogvane, come clown and have a day's shooting along with me at Groundslow, on Thursday ; I've got a day's ferretiug there, and we'll make up a party. There's Waggle- tail, theclockmaker in George St., has promised to go ; and I'll drive you down in my pony- cart. It isn't above fourteen miles ; and we'll have a leg of mutton at the Bold Dragoon afterwards ; and there'll be one or two in to dinner, and I think we may make out a jolly day of it. Old Bung — and, mind you, he's a ruin fellow, is Bung — will make one, so now what d'ye say ?" .Mi'. Tomkins had just popped into Mr. NEWTON DOG VANE. 31 Dogvane's office to utter the above invitation. Mr. Dogvane was busily occupied, adding 976 sides of bacon to 1134 sides of bacon, "and eleven's 21, — twenty-one hundred and ten. Quite correct. Thank ye; you see, I'm no shooter, Tomkins ; never let off a piece in my life, excepting once, I give you my honour, and that was when I was a boy, sir. I did let off a fowling-piece then, and under very peculiar circumstances. I remember well ; it was a flint- an d-steel, and it snicked a great many times, and I hammered the flint, sir, with a penny piece, sir, and still it would not discharge itself; until, at length, thinking more effectively to accomplish my object, I — ah, hammered it with the back of my knife. Somehow, it struck a light, and, at the most unexpected interval, ahem! off went the piece, and as if — ah — what they call " endued with vitality," she sprung out of my hands, and vomited forth her contents at the same moment. The contents, sir, of the piece, 32 NEWTON DOGVANE. struck the earth at some distance off, and rebounded into a blacksmith's shop, several of the shots perforating the behinder portion of the blacksmith's waistcoat and small clothes, as he was at work, sir. There was a row upon the part of that blacksmith ; and, thinking I had committed manslaughter, I left the piece where she lay, and, taking to my heels, ran away. I had, sir, to pay the owner of that piece nineteen shillings and threppence ha'penny for the loss of it ; and it took all the pocket-money I had hoarded up for some time to do so, as I never had the courage to go and ask the blacksmith for it; for, on making enquiries secretly, I heard that his wife was daily employed in ex- tracting the shots with a needle, and that she had already picked out nearly a thimbleful. I need not tell you that I did not become a shooter after that." "But T thought I'd seen a gun at your house?" NEWTON DOGVANE. 33 " Yes, yes — my son's — my son's. I believe he is a keen hand — a very keen hand — goes out all round Battersea, and everywhere, almost. Brought home a duck the other day — mild. Ha, ha!" and he poked Tomkins in the ribs. " No ! ' said Tomkins, appreciating some joke, with a chuckle. "Yes." "No." " Yes." (Another dig in the ribs.) " Wild ! ha, ha, ha !" " Ho, ho, ho." " Such a tough old feller ! caught him on a pond, sir, shot him, grabbed him, and was marching off in triumph, when out came the farmer, and away bolted our New." "And got clear off, duck and all?" " Got clear off, duck and all." "Well, that's good, and we'll have him on Thursday, anyhoAv ; and you'll come ? " vol. i. D 34 NEWTON DOGVANE. " No, no ; take him, if you like ; I'm not fond of guns, or gunning." " Very well, then, so be it. By the way, then, he'd better take a shake down at my house the night before, as we shall start pretty early, and Brixton's a deal out of the way." " Very good; please yourself, and, no doubt, my boy will be satisfied. Only, I say, old fellow," and Mr. Dogvane shook his head seri- ously, "no nonsense, you know, after din- ner. No stoking it into the young un ! It you don't bring him home all square and right, mind, you'll have to fight the battle out with the missus. Not that you'd find it very easy, cither, for he's a good lad, and not easily per- suaded to take more than is good for him. He's like me, likes it little and good." " No, no — you may rely upon me." " Very well, then it's settled," and, nodding shortly, lie was once more immersed in hams and other dried goods. "Mr. Spoodle." NEWTON DOGVANE. 35 " Sir," said a clerk, of solemn aspect and starched appearance, approaching from the office. " Sir." "Has Mr. Newton been here to-day?" "Mr. Newton, sir, has just stepped down to Porpus and Gallon's, about those tongues, sir." " Oh, ah ! so he is. — very good — good lad," he murmured to himself, "looks to business, let me know when he comes in." "Yes, sir," and the clerk disappeared. "Looks to business, though he'll have no need to follow it as I have. No need whatever, I hope. Yet there's no harm in his getting a little touch of business habits, and a sufficient knowledge of things, not to make a fool of himself in money matters. Yes. Ileigho ! I get almost tired of this, and long for a change, ever since that day, last year, with Judkins." Mr. Judkins was a retired friend of Mr. Dogvane's, with whom he formerly dealt largely, and Mr. Judkins had got a very nice d 2 36 NEWTON DOGVANE. little place on the Thames, with an acre or two of land, a pig, and a cow. Mr. Dogvane had, on invitation, gone down one Saturday morn- ing, and come back on the ensuing Monday evening, and what with the looking at the cow, and the pig, and the spangled Polands ; and what with the new milk, and the sylla- bub, and the new-laid eggs, which Mr. Dog- vane assisted in robbing the mothers of; and what with a capital day's fishing, during which Messrs. Judkins and Dogvane captured nume- rous barbel and bream — Mr. Dogvane taking a barbel, weight seven pounds and nine ounces, which procured him the largest barbel prize, (a bronze double-extra-check superfine-finished winch) at his club, and over which day's fish- ing there was no trouble at all, the rods being lifted at once off sundry pegs in the hall, where they were kept always prepared and in order, and conveyed down the garden to the punt, which was lying properly pro- visioned &C. &C, at the steps ; and what NEWTON DOGVANE. 37 with the nice little bit of salmon from a friend of Judkins's, still in business, and which was dropped by the down bus, that passed the door every evening ; and what with a re- markably nice fore-quarter of lamb, and some very tender ducklings, with freshly-picked peas and beans culled by Judkins and Dogvane themselves ; and what with some remarkably fine, dry old port, and after that some uncom- monly fine, dry old cigars, and the least drop in the world of cold pale-brandy and water, out under the verandah, with the moon twinkling on the rippling river, on the warm summer's night, and the sweet-smelling creepers over the verandah, with the flitting moth and bat ; in fact, what with good sport, the best of eat- ing, drinking, and sleeping, pure country air, and an appetite, such as he seldom found in town, and the society of an old chum, Mr. Dogvane managed to enjoy himself so much, that he very often found himself thinking over it, and longing for another turn, and fancying 38 NEWTON DOGVANE. that lie really had a great predilection for the country, and how nice it would be to have such a place of his own to ask Mr. So-and-so down to. He little thought how many long after- noons poor old Judkins had practised patience (but nothing else) in a punt, in that very swim, in which, by the greatest fluke in the world, Mr. Dogvane happened, on this particu- lar day, to get some good sport. He little knew the domestic and private history of that cow, that garden, those span- gled Polands ; or the worries and vexations poor old Judkins had had to endure with them. Well, well, perhaps it was as well he did not ; or much of this history would have remained unwritten. Having indulged his short fit of musing, which, by the way, never lasted long enough with Mr. Dogvane to interfere with business, lie fell to work again, and calculated the pro- lit to be derived from so many hundreds of M,\VTON DOG \ AM.. 39 aeats tongues; and lie was slowly rubbing his hands with satisfaction, when his son en- tered. A well-made, smart-looking youngster, was our friend Newton, lie was, perhaps, a trifle leggy — youths of seventeen often are — hut his figure promised well, when it should he- come more filled out and set. He had curly light-brown hair, a high temple, and a bright, frank hlue eye, which looked you in the face without blinking. He entered, and deposited a cheque upon his father's desk. " Porpus and Gallon. One — six — five — nineteen," he said, as he delivered it. " Right," said his father, referring to his ledger ; " and, now, I think I'll just run round to the Slate, and have my chop. By the way, New., Tomkins has been here, and asked you to go shooting rabbits with him, at Groundslow, on Thursday, and I've ac- cepted the invite for you, and you're to sleep at his house over-night, so as to be ready to 40 NEWTON DOGVANE. start ill the morning. So polish up your mus- ket, my boy, and go and have a day's pleasure. Though, what pleasure it can be to go letting off a gun, which jumps out of your halids, and shoots blacksmiths, whether you will or no, I can't see. But, never mind. Take care you don't shoot any blacksmith ; and, I say, New., if you should fall in with my wild ducks, take care that they ain't tough old mallards, and that the farmer don't see you. Kek! kek! kek! chuckled the old gentleman. This was always a standing joke of his against Newton. Newton coloured a trifle, but laughed off the joke. He appeared, however, much pleased with the prospect .afforded of a day's rabbiting ; and a rabbit, in his eyes, forth- with became an object of sport and desire, scarcely second to a stag of ten points. " And now, I'll be off," and taking liis hat, gloves, and umbrella, he continued, while investing himself with these necessaries: — " Aii'l if Charkin's clerk calls, say, we can't do NEWTON DOGVANE. 41 it. — It's not our way of doing business. — Don't like Charkins — speculates too much; besides, he's got some paper about, and has been Hy- ing kites, this while since. And I'll just look into Leadenhall Market too, and see if I can pick up a good cheap turkey for Sunday, while I am about it. None of your wild ducks, you know," and, with a further wink at his son, he departed. No sooner was his father out of sight, than Newton, seizing the poker from amongst the fire-irons, put it to his shoulder like a gun, and said " bang " sundry times, which was sup- posed to be indicative of killing rabbits ; and having disposed of an imaginary bunny in three corners of the room, was just dealing a shadowy death, with a loud " bang," upon one in the fourth, when Mr. Spoodle entered, and stood transfixed with amazement on seeing the occupation of his young master. Relinquishing the deadly weapon somewhat sheepishly, and without pretending to oifer 42 NEWTON DOGVANE. any explanation, Newton slipped into his father's chair, proceeded to transact the little matter of business which Mr. Spoodle had come in upon, as aptly and clearly as the governor himself could have done. Wednesday evening found Newton at the hospitable quarters of Mr. Tomkins, at Bayswater; and after a latish dinner, Mr. Waggletail looked in for a cigar and a game of cribbage. Waggletail was a sort of evidence of per- petual motion ; he was never still for three seconds together. When he walked, he walked straight ahead, with quick, short, fussy steps, which seemed to say : " Get out of my way ; I'm walking right through the world for a wager." His brows were always slightly knit, and his look downcast, as if he were pondering over the affairs of the state, instead of, like the jolly young waterman, "thinking of nothing at all." He talked quickly, interminably, and impor- NEWTON DOC YAM.. 43 taiitly ; and when he thought lie had said any- thing to the point, he gave a short cough, "ahem." You had but to wind him up, like one of his own clocks, by some remark, no matter what (he had always something to say on every subject, whether he knew anything of it or not), and then set that tonguey pendulum of his going, and no mill-wheel that ever clacked could keep pace with him. He was, this evening, very great upon shooting, though he knew nothing whatever about it. He had bought a cheap Brummagem-double at a sale, a lew weeks before, and was mighty acute in demonstrating all its advantages aud beauties^ and he looked with an eye of slight disdain on Newton's poker. What a filling of shot-pouches and powder- flasks there was ! and what a selection of caps and waddings ! what anticipations of great deeds and great results on the morrow ! How Mr. Tomkins related of that day, when they killed thirty-three couples of rabbits, and 44 NEWTON DOGVANE. so forth ; and a vision of thirty-three couples of rabbits walked in grim and endless array through Newton's slumbers. Now he chevied a visionary rabbit, Avhich always slipped from before his gun at the moment of firing ; and how he felt utterly constrained to destroy it, and chased it, as it shifted, until the perspi- ration ran down his face, till he tumbled over a precipice into space ; and how the rabbit resolved itself into the substantial Welsh one he had eaten for supper, and which reigned "Lord upon his bosom's throne," or whatever that quotation is, matters very little ; only, as it happened, we mention it. Towards morning, he fell into an uneasy doze, and was gradually dropping off into sound sleep, when a tremendous row at the door brought him yawning out of bed. "Now, then, six o'clock — lively does it. Coffee down-stairs in ten minutes ; so, sharp's the word," and Mr. Tomkina went rumbling down t