THE TURF 63 



for him to find a place. 1 With him Jack 

 Clarke lived, the lad with whom I came 

 from Nottingham ; this was another fortun- 

 ate circumstance, and contributed to in- 

 spire me with confidence. My present 

 hopes were so strongly contrasted with my 

 late fears, that they were indeed enviable. 

 To speak for once in metaphor, I had been 

 as one of those who walk in the shadow of 

 the valley of death ; an accidental beam of 

 sun broke forth, and I had a beatific view 

 of heaven. 



* It was no difficult matter to meet with 

 John Watson : he was so attentive to stable- 

 hours that, except on extraordinary occa- 

 sions, he was always to be found. Being 

 first careful to make myself look as much 

 like a stable-boy as I could, I came at the 

 hour of four (the summer hour for opening 

 the afternoon stables, giving a slight feed 

 of oats, and going out to evening exercise), 

 and ventured to ask if I could see John 

 Watson. The immediate answer was in 

 the affirmative. John Watson came, looked 



1 This is still the case at Newmarket. No trainer 

 will take a boy that offers himself until his late master 

 has been consulted. 



