HORSE DEALING 233 



our country. Tom Duckett was then on a splendid 

 dark-brown horse which he had purchased some 

 short time back out of some racing stables. He was 

 too slow to become a plater. The horse had been 

 seen before in one or two remarkably good things ; 

 and he looked so well on this particular day, that he 

 attracted the attention of a gentleman who under- 

 stood to the full the value of blood. A fox was 

 soon halloed away, and the first ten minutes gave 

 no cause of complaint to the lovers of pace : there 

 was scarcely time to think, much less to talk, and 

 the only things that were clearly manifest were the 

 black skirts of Tom Duckett' s coat and the dark- 

 brown horse's quarters in front all the way. Under 

 the circumstances of the case, it is not extraordinary 

 that the hounds should have over-run the scent, and 

 the natural consequence, a slight check, ensued. 



< " Three hundred, Mr. Duckett, for the brown 

 horse," said an eager customer, afraid of being too 

 late in the market. " Three hundred, and you may 

 ride my second horse if you can get him, and send 

 the brown horse home by my groom at once." 



* " Thank you, my lord, for the offer ; but we 

 shall be down to the Styx in five minutes, and if he 

 jumps it I shall want more than that for him." 



' The Styx is a brook not so easily crossed as its 

 namesake. Charon himself, on a thoroughbred one, 

 would have looked twice at it and turned away. 

 Indeed I never saw anyone jump it that did look at 



