138 CHASING AND RACING 



during, or after the race. The following is a case in 



point : 



O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us 

 Tae see oorsels as ithers see us ! 



BURNS (" Rabbie " not " Tommy "). 



It is sometimes very embarrassing to be an uninten- 

 tional eavesdropper where one's personality and 

 character are being discussed by others who are un- 

 conscious of our presence in the flesh ; but there are 

 occasions when such amenities are prone to fill one 

 with much inward hilarity. 



It had been my lot to encounter such an experience 

 on two separate occasions. On one, my domestic 

 character was being canvassed, and on the other, my 

 ability as a gentleman rider. I will deal with the 

 latter, the former being far too controversial, and 

 involving issues which rest on the exact point of view 

 from which those who have started the argument 

 regard moral and social conventions. 



The dialogue took place in a railway compartment 

 when I was en route for the old Croydon racecourse, 

 where, if I remember rightly, the last of the time- 

 honoured gatherings on that sporty but sticky course 

 was to be held. 



Our compartment was full up. Opposite me were 

 two youths, equipped cap-a-pie for the business toward. 

 They had the impress of" the Varsity," and " not long 

 down " at that ; but they were evidently keen on the 

 game, and anxious to select from their cards such 



