2 THE MERRY GEE-GEE 



as could be with me, and I had taken 

 a week's racing, thinking and hoping to 

 play up a few sovereigns by judicious 

 investment, but it had ''come off crabs" 

 (to use a familiar turf vulgarism), as It 

 generally does when one goes as a last 

 extremity and to stop a gap. 



Pulling my race-card out of my breast- 

 pocket to review the days proceedings, 

 I also fished out with it two writs and 

 four county court summonses, all of 

 which demanded Immediate attention, so 

 as a preliminary step I carefully tore 

 them Into tiny fragments and committed 

 them to the four winds of heaven out 

 of the carriage window ; leant back in 

 the corner of the compartment, gazed 

 vacandy at the scudding landscape, and 

 resumed my reverie, with the result that 

 In a few moments I brought down my 

 fist on my knee with unusual gusto, and 



