THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



Webber. — ' What liappened to Newland ? he was after my 

 time at CoUeoje, and I never heard anything about him in the 

 money way ; but I know he was very fond of racing, and used 

 to say that, from his great talent for calculation, he expected 

 to make a fortune by the turf.' 



Sir John. — ' He lost £100,000, at least, by talking of post- 

 obiting his aunt. He called out, publicly, in the ring at 

 Newmarket, " Wliat odds will any one bet line, tliat I don't win 

 t/te Derby, in four years after my old aunt dies?" This was 

 mentioned, in his own neighbourhood, as a mere joke ; but 

 on its being conveyed to the ears of the old lady, by the 

 parson of the parish in which she lived, and, of course, 

 commented upon for its enormity, he was left £100 to 

 purchase a mourning suit and a ring. Now, for what I 

 know of Mr. Beaumont Raby, he would be very likely indeed 

 to pursue the same plan by a nephew who might post-obit 

 him.' 



Webber.—' And did the parson get the £100,000 ? ' 



Sir John. — ' No, thank God ! it was left chiefly to hospitals 

 and Sunday-schools ; but poor Newland has never held up his 

 head in the world since. It is a good lesson to all young 

 gentlemen who attempt to post-obit their relations. If, how- 

 ever, my young friend here wants the means of keeping an 

 extra hunter or two, during his uncle's lifetime — for I am 

 quite sure he will not need assistance afterwards — I will take 

 care he shall be supplied with them, without having recourse 

 to a usurious money-lender. But, Frank, my good fellow, 

 don't get much into debt, if you can help it. Some of my 

 accjuaintance have never recovered the effects of debt contracted 

 early.' 



Webber. — ' True ; but I think the fault there often lies with 

 the old ones. Every father ought to ask his son, when he 

 quits the University, what debts he has left unpaid ? when, by 

 a speedy arrangement of them, future expenses and extortion, 

 and, in no few cases, ruin to the contractor of them, would be 

 avoided. They hang like an incubus upon a man, who is not 

 able to discharge them at the time, and often cause him to be 

 reckless in his future proceedings. By the bye, I can tell you 

 a good anecdote on this subject, and it relates to an intimate 

 friend of mine, a fellow commoner, of Trinity College, Cam- 

 bridge. Two years after he quitted the Uni\'ersity, he 



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