272 THE RACING WORLD 



he put all his friends off, the story would get 

 abroad that the animal was not fancied. They, it 

 was supposed, staying in the same house, would be 

 sure to know, and so they had been deliberately 

 led astray. Other members of the party had horses 

 running at the meeting, and had frankly discussed 

 their prospects and stated their beliefs, to the great 

 benefit of his lordship, who was a most assiduous 

 searcher after information, and betted heavily, so 

 that they never suspected he would designedly lead 

 them astray. 



I fear that I am giving a bad impression of the 

 racegoer, and, being one myself, seem to be fouling 

 my own nest. Racegoers, I fancy, are neither 

 better nor worse than any other class that makes 

 money-hunting a primary object ; but there are 

 few effective stories to be told of the straight- 

 forward man who does things in a straightforward 

 manner. Sometimes to tell the simple truth, 

 plainly and unhesitatingly, is the most effectual 

 way of misleading people, and this because it is 

 such a suspicious world, that of which we are 

 speaking. 



" Do you fancy yours at all ? " the owner is 

 asked, more or less diffidently as the case may be, 

 by someone who is in the not unusual position 

 of wanting to back a winner. 



