CUSTOM OF AN AFTERNOON 149 



he would relate a few anecdotes that were notable for 

 their brevity. On other occasions he kept a silent tongue, 

 perhaps like the sailor's parrot, to induce people to con- 

 clude he was ' such a stunner to think.' He professed 

 to know nothing about racing, and I suspect that in so 

 professing he was right. He never in my presence made 

 a single suggestion as to anything that he should like 

 done with the horses, or relating to them. In fact, he 

 was one to whom Johnson's lines will fitly apply, ' whose 

 life has passed without a contest, and who can boast 

 neither success nor merit, can survey himself only as a 

 useless filler of existence ; and if he is content with his 

 own character, must owe his satisfaction to insensibility.' 



To his credit, however, it should be recorded that to 

 two things, dress and deportment, he devoted much 

 attention. In person he was short, but always stately, 

 and in manner both affable and obliging. His dark 

 frock-coat and double-breasted waistcoat were always of 

 the most stylish cut and an exquisite fit. His black 

 satin stock was fastened with a costly diamond pin, and 

 round his neck he wore a long massive gold watch-chain, 

 which was fully displayed outside his waistcoat ; whilst 

 his tiny fingers were richly ornamented with rings of 

 great value. He was as dandified in old age as he had 

 been vain of his person in youth. A splendid head of 

 hair whose long jet-black curls were probably ' the 

 dowry of a second head, the skull that bred them in the 

 sepulchre ' served favourably to set off his other attrac- 

 tions. In fact, the artistic work of this peruke, and the 

 display afforded by faultless dentistry, caused it to be 

 specially remarked how highly in these adornments he 

 had been favoured by nature. 



His voice was not powerful, and he spoke slowly, in a 

 subdued tone, which gave him an air of importance. Of 



