SIXTY YEAKS ON THE TURF 



three ponies to one that I beat you now, no matter 

 how you've improved." 



" Right," I said, tempted by the odds, and know- 

 ing how I had improved by practice. 



'* The best two out of three ; and you go first," 

 was his remark. 



Well, I just beat him, but I was sure he had not 

 done his best, and said so. 



" I daresay I might do a bit better," he remarked 

 in a casual way, and off he went again, setting me a 

 much harder task. But, " putting all in," I cleared 

 his mark by two feet ; and thus had increased my 

 winning account to a " century." Kelly's language, 

 I am afraid, was not of drawing-room character, 

 though it might now be counted Parliamentary, for 

 they say funny things in the House these times. 



"Hydrangea and Hodgman," he exclaimed, " a nice 

 pair ! I wish you both were — " well, in, personally, 

 undesirable quarters. " And to think," he said, as 

 he handed over a nice new hundred pound Bank of 

 England note — " To think, damme ! of coming down 

 to a hole like this and being done by a youngster 

 like you for a hundred ! Young man, I tell you what 

 it is. You're wasting your time down here. Come 

 to London. That's the place for your sort ! " 



Afterwards Kelly — I forgave the sanded feathers — 

 was very much my friend. By his invitation I visited 



14 



