FIRST REAL TOUCH 



second, and Fred Archer, on Lord Felmouth's Childeric, 

 was third. 



It was a very comfortable sort of feeling that forty- 

 two pounds had been netted. Up to that period it 

 was the largest amount of money I had ever possessed. 

 I was wondering when the uncle would part. It was a 

 cheerful ride home, and the pea-shooter was freely 

 brought into play. It cannot be said that it was an 

 accomplishment, but somehow a good fire had great 

 effect on a red-faced man on the top of an omnibus in 

 front of us, and he longed to throw sometliing more 

 than peas at us in return. But he had his revenge, 

 for as we passed the bus he raised a " vessel " which he 

 had filled with stout and dashed the whole contents 

 into the front of our hansom. My wonderful eleven 

 guineas' worth was done in, but even this failed to 

 depress me. I drove home with my friend after we 

 had dined at Simpson's, and washed some of the stains 

 off. I was just going when " uncle " called us in, 

 opened a bottle of wine, and said : " Oh, I may as well 

 settle with you," and handed me a cheque for twenty- 

 two pounds and twenty pounds in notes. I tell you 

 it was treading on air that night. But the luck of it 

 — just think it over. First the introduction, and then 

 dropping in at the psychological moment and having 

 the " front " to take the bet. It was stupendous, 

 and gave me the confidence to take an off chance on 

 occasions. And to think for a month before I had 

 been broke to the wide ! But luck really comes in 

 extraordinary ways many years later 



I remember walking along the Strand, going to 

 call on C. B. Fry, in Burleigh Street, about an article 

 he wanted from me about Pretty Polly, I went up 

 Southampton Street by mistake, and met a man I hadn't 

 seen for many months. Not only did he pay me a 



