The Trotter. 165 



road. The personal property also sold well; for so many were 

 anxious to secure some remembrance of Sam West, whose name 

 for the last five-and-twenty years had been a household word in our 

 parts. An eccentric sporting baronet bought the old summer-house 

 as it stood; it was carefully removed and set up again in his park. It 

 fetched a high price; in fact, as the auctioneer observed, it was the 

 most '^sportin' lot" in the whole catalogue. After the mortgages 

 and all the debts were paid, there still remained about ten thousand 

 pounds ; five of this was invested in the funds for the maintenance 

 of the poor idiot boy, of whom the good clergyman kindly under- 

 took the charge, and with the other five thousand Sam emigrated 

 to Australia. No one in our parts ever heard from him again ; and 

 the name of Sam West, by degrees, became forgotten. 



The Grange passed into the hands of a rich railway director, ori- 

 ginally a shoeblack, now a millionaire. He renovated it after his 

 own vulgar taste; and it was a question in the neighbourhood whe- 

 ther the old house had not better have remained as it was during 

 Sam's reign, and been left to crumble into ashes. 



As soon as I heard of the sad accident, I wrote over to the cap- 

 tain to know whether he might not wish to declare the match off, 

 or at least postpone it a little out of respect to his old friend, stating 

 my willingness to meet him either way. I received a laconic reply 

 to my note, in which he said that he certainly expected that the 

 match would come off according to articles. He added, " that 

 he was not aware that Mrs. West had nominated Morgan Rattler, 

 or, probably, I might have been in a position to have claimed forfeit; 

 that Mr. West had nothing whatever to do with the horse, or the 

 match; and, moreover, he felt certain that nothing would cheer him 

 so much in his present affliction, as to hear that old Morgan had 

 added another to his list of victories." I may add that the captain 

 had taken up his residence at the Grange till Sam's affairs were 

 settled; and, if all accounts were true, the old house was just then 

 anything but *'a house of mourning." 



When I read the letter over to old Jones, he quietly remarked, 

 *'Well, sir, if the captain thinks it is such a good thing, try and get 



