CHAPTER X 



IT has been ever one of my cardinal errors to 

 amuse myself by placing a variety of irons 

 . in the fires of life. My friends tell me that 

 had I concentrated my attention on one piece 

 of metal at a time, it would have glowed with a 

 far more luminous radiance than do my bunch of 

 ill-assorted scraps. Unfortunately I have a kink in 

 my psychological composition which forbids any such 

 monopoly. I must needs have a finger in every pie 

 that is baked in the " field " oven. Thus it happened 

 that whilst I should have been entirely absorbed in the 

 occupation of breeding, entering, and hunting hounds, 

 and incidentally kow-towing to the mighty who con- 

 tributed a mite towards the exchequer, I was prone to 

 devote a considerable amount of time and much 

 cogitation not only to race riding and a study of all 

 matters connected with the turf, but to coursing, 

 angling, shooting, and breeding, training and exhibit- 

 ing dogs of various sporting and non-sporting kinds, 

 and judging the same at all the leading shows. 



As I have already explained, my pony-racing days 

 overlapped my experience as M.H. and afterwards as 



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