The Hon. Adolphus Lightfoof. 85 



good many dealings together, and I should like to buy the 

 brown horse, 'pon my soul I should. But the price is 

 positively prohibitive ; it is, really. I know you like to 

 see me well mounted, SnafQe, so I'll tell you what I'll do. 

 I'll write you a cheque for two hundred for him, and I'll 

 give you a couple of dozen of champagne and the best tip for 

 the Lincolnshire Handicap you ever had in your life, in. 

 And the daal was pretty sure to end in our friend getting 

 the horse at his own price or nearly so. As Mr. Snaffle 

 said, he had such a pleasant way with him, there really 

 was no resisting him. 



The '' poor devil of a younger son " dodge, in fact, was 

 a very paying one, though not strictly true, for, though the 

 Hon. Doll3^'s younger son's portion was not a large one, 

 and had indeed been longsince got through, hehada very nice 

 little income of some three thousand a year, derived from 

 the same beneficent aunt who had bequeathed him the 

 Pre, every sixpence of which, probably a little over, 

 its lively owner carefully lived up to. Well might he 

 say of himself, that he was a '' man of pleasure." 



Dolly's existence indeed was one perpetual holiday. And 

 there really was no vice about him, not one bit. He was 

 simply one of those men — and there are some few of them 

 about — who possessing an admirable digestion and an 

 unlimited capacity for enjoying life, go in steadily for 

 making a business of pleasure. People shook their heads 

 when they heard of our friend's goings-on, and remarked, 

 '' Ah ! it's all very well while it lasts, but a time will come." 

 The time, however, in Dolly's case, seems a long time 

 coming, for there he is, getting on for three score, and 

 still '' going strong," as the racing people say. Then it 

 must be owned that, though he takes his full whack of 



