LORD DARLINGTON AND MR. THORNHILL. 147 



resisting Poison's challenge at the Stand. This 

 struggle might be said to be decisive of the point, as 

 to whether the uncle or the nephew was to win the 

 largest number of Oaks. Already had the uncle won 

 five on Briseis, Sorcery, Landscape, Shoveller, and 

 Wings while the nephew won five after this one; 

 and, in fact, just commenced his great career in the 

 saddle when the uncle quitted it. Mr. Thornhill 

 and Sam might have jogged on comfortably for some 

 years to come, but the fatal escutcheon was above 

 the hall-door of Biddlesworth before the next New- 

 market July, and the latter settled down in the pre- 

 mises which his late master was found to have left 

 him for his life, and never attempted to waste again. 



