but he had scarcely walked his horse five paces from the spot, when he returned and said in a subdued tone, "Excuse me, General Binks, but in my anxiety to explain this most unfortunate business, I forgot to deliver a message which the Duke of Rutland desired me to give you when I left Belvoir this morning: it was to request the honour of your company at dinner.” It would be difficult to say which gave the oddest grin, the culprit or the disciplinarian; the latter coughed, and at length cleared his throat sufficiently to express his thanks in these words: "Ah: why, really I feel, and am, very much obliged to his Grace; pray, Major Brummell, tell the Duke, I shall be most happy; and,"-melodiously raising his voice, for the Beau had already turned his horse once more towards Belvoir, "Major Brummell, as to this little affair, I am sure, no man can regret it more than you do. Assure his Grace, that I shall have great pleasure in accepting his very kind invitation." And they parted, amidst a

shower of smiles.

But Brummell was as yet only half out of his difficulties; the invitation he had so readily given to the General was coined on the spot, was his own invention, to save himself from the consequences of his neglect of duty, and he had to ride for his life to the Castle to prepare his friend the Duke for an unexpected visitor, the distinguished Binks. This anecdote does not tell well on paper, but let the reader imagine Brummell giving his own account of the scene, taking off the graceful and submissive bow with which he

acknowledged the reproof, and the arch twist of his eyebrows as he described himself giving the invitation, that acted as such an efficient anodyne to the General's indignation.

Another anecdote is also related of the Beau at Belvoir Castle. In a certain part of this noble seat is a large hall round which runs a gallery that communicates with the sleeping apartments. In this corridor is suspended the rope of the great bell used only in case of fire. It appears, however, that one night about half an hour after Brummell and a numerous company had retired to their rooms, the iron tongue of this giant communicator was heard speaking in no very gentle tones to the inmates of the castle, and those in the houses of the neighbourhood. The effect upon the household, as may be readily imagined, was electrical, and in a very few seconds after the first note had been struck, the hall was crowded with masters, mistresses, and servants in every variety of male and female nocturnal costume. No symptom of fire could, however, be detected, and they were wondering what could have induced any one to toll the bell, when the Beau came forward to the edge of the gallery, and said with one of his most placid smiles: "Really, my good people, I regret having disturbed you, but the fact is my valet forgot to bring my hot water."

Brummell always appeared at the coverside admirably dressed, in a white cravat and white tops, which latter, either he or Robinson, his valet, introduced, and which eventually superseded the brown ones; his

horses were always in as high condition as himself, their coats looking like silk. They stood at the Peacock at the bottom of the hill, near Belvoir, and were under the care of a person of the name of Fryatt, who perfectly understood his business; indeed he was more an agent than a groom, for he purchased, when and what he thought proper, without much, if ever, consulting his master, who had too much sense to interfere with him.

The truth was, Fryatt was an excellent rider, a capital judge of horses, and sometimes put money into Brummell's pocket, besides mounting him well; he also took care of himself, and at his death left eight or ten thousand pounds behind him, made out of horseflesh the inn which he kept at Melton for one or two years, was not so profitable a concern. After a few seasons, Brummell's stud was removed to Knipton, on account of some misunderstanding with Shipton, the landlord of the Peacock; in 1807, his horses stood at Grantham.

Knipton is a very beautiful village about a mile and a half from Belvoir Castle, and near it is a lake, of two hundred acres in extent; the spot is richly wooded, and the late Duchess took great pains to improve it, particularly in the drives, which are laid out with much judgment; the Castle, also, will long remain a magnificent memorial of her architectural taste, for the plan of it was her own selection. Her love of landscapegardening probably originated in her talent for drawing, which was considerable, as the collection at

Belvoir of her own doing affords ample and pleasing evidence. Brummell's capability of appreciating this accomplishment, and his own proficiency in it, combined with his other acquirements, and his indifference to field-sports, naturally made him a very welcome guest in the drawing-room at Belvoir, and led to greater intimacy with his noble hostess than he might otherwise have aspired to.

He appears to have taken a pleasure in applying his talent for drawing, to the not unamiable object of preserving the memory of some of the distinguished women, that he was fortunate enough to be able to number among his friends. These sketches are from miniatures or pictures. One, of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was taken from a portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds, and is now, or was, in the possession of Lady Granville; two others, those of the late Duchesses of Beaufort and Rutland, are now in the author's hands. The former is in water-colours, the latter in pencil: though not highly finished, both are very creditably executed for an amateur.

In a letter of Brummell's, subsequently given, written many years after the death of the Duchess of Rutland, he feelingly alludes to her in terms that would confirm the most delightful impression of her disposition. But, however the society in which she moved might have regretted her Grace's premature death, inasmuch as it removed one of the brightest and most fascinating ornaments from their gay circle, yet her loss was far more sincerely deplored by the

poorer classes of her own neighbourhood, in whose welfare and happiness she had always manifested a most lively interest, and who assembled in vast crowds at her funeral, to pay the last tribute of a sincere respect to their benefactress.

In concluding this chapter, the principal part of which relates to Brummell's intimacy with a family in which he for many years passed much of his time, it may not be altogether uninteresting to mention some of the guests with whom he was frequently associated, and with the majority of whom, now like himself in their graves, he was on the most friendly footing; as it will give the reader an idea how deeply he must have felt the alteration in his circumstances, and the change he had to encounter in society, during his long and compulsory residence abroad from Belvoir to Calais ! Amongst these were the Dukes of York and Cambridge; the Dukes of Beaufort, Manchester, Dorset, and Argyle; the Earls of Westmoreland and Chatham (William Pitt's brother, and the great friend of the Duke of Rutland on the turf); the Lords Delamere, Apsley, Forester, F. Bentinck, and Robert Manners; the Honourables W. Howard, Irby, and Henry Pierrepoint (Lord Manvers's brother, and one of the leaders at Watier's); Chig Chester (a great whist-player, sportsman, and good fellow); Sir Watkin Wynne, Sir John Thoroton; Colonel F., and the Rev. P. Thoroton; Colonel G. Cornwall, Parson Grosvenor, Mr. Delmé Ratcliffe, and John Douglas.