The Duke himself was old, feeble, and almost imbecile.

He had never been eminent as a sportsman; but, in a not energetic manner, he had endeavoured to do his duty by the country.
His heir, Plantagenet Palliser, was simply a statesman, who, as regarded himself, had never a day to spare for amusement; and who, in reference to sport, had unfortunate fantastic notions that pheasants and rabbits destroyed crops, and that foxes were injurious to old women's poultry.

He, however, was not the owner, and had refused to interfere.

There had been family quarrels too, adverse to the sporting interests of the younger Palliser scions, so that the shooting of this wood had drifted into the hands of Mr.Fothergill and his friends.

Now, Lord Chiltern had settled it in his own mind that the hounds had been poisoned, if not in compliance with Mr.
Fothergill's orders, at any rate in furtherance of his wishes, and, could he have had his way, he certainly would have sent Mr.
Fothergill to the gallows.