20 THE POST AND THE PADDOCK. 



of grave clothiers; one or two of them smoking pipes, 

 to which the monster cigar at the Exhibition seemed 

 a trifle in length; while others, with eyes solemnly 

 fixed ceiling-wards, insisted on waltzing with the 

 cook and the other domestics. We are bound to 

 state that the former seemed by no means to dislike 

 this pleasing recognition of the close of her labours. 

 " You're going to bed, arn't you?" we said to an 

 enthusiastic double-event Richmond man; but 

 "Go to bed indeed! You arn't half a man ! Who'd 

 go to bed when Voltigeur's won the Leger and the 

 Cup?" was the scornful reply. At Chester they have 

 hardly this bed option ; and he was a lucky fellow at 

 one time who did not object to being bodkin, or 

 taking his turn between the sheets on alternate 

 nights. A visitor once vowed to us that he slept with 

 his head on his great coat and a door-mat in the pas- 

 sage for three entire nights; and we quite believe 

 him. 



Much as was said and written about the Dutchman 

 and Voltigeur, we are inclined to fancy that neither 

 of them, in their best day, were so high-class as Ted- 

 dington and West Australian ; but still, it is worthy 

 of notice that these four, and Virago, Stockwell, 

 who was taken out of training long before he was on 

 the wane, and Fandango were foaled in seven succes- 

 sive seasons. t 



We have thus traced the shifting Turf drama 

 through all its varied phases, up to the ever memo- 

 rable era of Wild Dayrell "the right horse in the 

 right place at last." Hunting men may sneer at 

 him and his class as being, one and all, in the con- 

 dition of the Frenchman's purchase, "who had three 

 legs var good, but de oder not qu-uite so good"; 

 commercial men may be scandalized at the strange 

 union of odds and Consols which so often salutes 

 their ears on 'Change, when one of " The Baron's " 

 horses is in the betting, and ponder in private over 



