204 THE MERRY GEE-GEE 



Yes, I climbed down steadily, still a patron 

 of the sport of kings, rubbing shoulders 

 with the scum of the earth, punting 

 bravely in shillings, and sometimes pounds, 

 as fortune wavered. 



About this time I used to make a book 

 occasionally with a pal, and I remember 

 on one occasion we stood up In the shilling 

 ring at Manchester with a bank of ^20. 

 Favourites rolled home with a cruel per- 

 sistency the first two days, till we had to 

 face the music with two sovereigns on the 

 Saturday morning. 



It was the day Raffaello won the Novem- 

 ber Handicap, and the course was under 

 water on the far side, and very heavy all 

 over. We laid them as level as we could, 

 and had to back any overlaid ones in with 

 a neighbour each race. They were big 

 fields, and outsiders (which we managed 

 to miss) got home to such a tune that by 



