262 THE DUKE OF CLEVELAND 



colt ; though he had never been out before, and in this 

 race ran very badly. But knowing how Dulcibella 

 improved from a two- to a three-year-old, I thought 

 probably the colt might do the same. Besides, he was a 

 great fine horse that looked likely to do good another 

 year. Lord William came to me the next day and asked 

 me to let him have his horse back again. But I said I 

 could not, as I had parted with him already to Mr. 

 Murphy, which was true. Yet I think I could have 

 found another excuse, if it had been necessary, for not part- 

 ing with him. But, as the sexton said, ' One reason was 

 sufficient,' when asked by a parishioner why they did 

 not ring the church bells ; and that was ' because they 

 had none ; but if that was not enough,' he added, ' the 

 parson did not like them.' 



Poor Sam Rogers ! As though the loss of Dulcibella 

 was not dreadful enough, he must put her half-brother 

 in a selling race the next meeting. If this were not akin 

 to insanity, I know not what might be in such a matter. 

 For I tried the colt, afterwards called Romulus, and 

 found he had good speed, and the following year proved 

 he could stay well ; and, in fact, was a better horse than 

 his sister was a mare. I have very little doubt, indeed, 

 that he would have won both the Cesarewitch and Cam- 

 bridgeshire as a three-year-old, if he had been left in my 

 hands. But the grateful youth, Mr. Murphy, left me for 

 a fresh trainer, and for some cause or other never won a 

 race with him. The horse never ran in my hands at all ; 

 but he was in the Lymington Stakes at 5 st. 7 lb., and 

 probably would have been in the two autumn handicaps 

 at the same weight ; for the Admiral knew how badly he 

 had run in the Selling Plate at Newmarket, and that 

 Lord William was an unlikely person to play tricks with 

 his horses. But as Mr. Murphy left rne in so ungentle- 



