2 24 THE MERRY GEE-GEE 



a cloak to the inquisitive on his return 

 from having been '* up to town to consult 

 his London agent J' Mighty fond of 

 poker he is ; nearly all racing men are 

 fond of cards and billiards. 



I can't say these two mediums have 

 cost me anything. IVe certainly played 

 cards when we've won or lost ;^400 or 

 ;/^500 a sitting, but I don't think they 

 owe me anything. If a man has the 

 bump of speculation, it's very hard to 

 go against it. I'm quite a believer in 

 phrenology. It requires a lot of deter- 

 mination to go against your bumps ; 

 and fighting against idleness, want of 

 punctuality, over-extravagance, etc., must 

 be a greater virtue in the man who has 

 those undesirable bumps, and consequently 

 inclinations, than it is in the man who 

 has the reverse bumps and the reverse 

 inclinations. 



