THE TOUT'S TIP. 57 



through his own misconduct came to grief. We passed on to 

 the Derby prospects. He had carefully watched the movements 

 of every horse, and he assured me that Bloomsbury must win, 

 giving excellent reasons for his belief Well, as you know, 

 Bloomsbury did win, and I pulled off a very good thing indeed. 

 Nor did I forget, you may be sure, my faithful and trusty tout. 

 Once more, and only once, I was tempted to ask his advice and 

 back his selection. That was at the Doncaster Meeting of the 

 same year. He gave me Charles XH. with the same positive 

 assurance as before. When the two first horses passed the 

 judge's box, the general impression was that Euclid had won, 

 and those who were in a position to see declared that it was so, 

 I made up my mind that I had tempted Fortune once too often, 

 and that at last she had jilted me. But, to my surprise and 

 gratification, I found that the judge had given it as a dead heat 

 between Euclid and Charles XH. I shall not easily forget the 

 intense excitement with which I watched the running-off of that 

 dead-heat. It was a near thing, but Charles XH. just did it, and 

 once more I landed a large stake — so large that I could afford to 

 give my tout a douceur of 100/. After those three coups I decided 

 that it would be rash to tempt Fortune any more. With the 

 money which I won on those three selections I went into busi- 

 ness, and how I have prospered some of this company know 

 well. I never saw my tout after Charles XH.'s Leger — though 

 I was several times both at Doncaster and Epsom afterwards, 

 and, perhaps, had I met him, I should have been tempted to 

 back his selection again. Nor did I ever hear of him again — 

 though he had my address, and might have written to me had 

 he pleased. But I have never forgotten, and never shall forget, 

 that I owe my present comfortable position to a tout's tip.' 



When the old gentleman ended his remarkable yarn, the 

 blustering man and the distinguished sportsman were silent, I 

 daresay they were not convinced, but at any rate no one said 

 another word that night against that much-abused but useful 

 servant of the betting public, the tout. 



