LORD GEORGE'S MATCHES. 151 



stances ; but I seldom stood more than 10, and 

 very rarely indeed 25. It was always a disap- 

 pointment to his Lordship if I refused to stand 

 anything 1 , or reduced my venture to 5 or 10. 

 On these occasions he would inquire of me, " Why 

 will you not stand more on this match which you 

 advised me to make ? Surely, if it is not worth 

 your money it cannot be worth mine ? " To say 

 the truth, I was never fond of betting on my own 

 account, and was always glad to discourage his 

 Lordship, who was apt on all occasions to bet too 

 much rather than too little. No accountant could 

 be more accurate and methodical than he was in 

 recording every bet made by or through him. If 

 I was a winner, a cheque was invariably sent to 

 me on the following Monday. In all other mat- 

 ters his Lordship's attention to detail was equally 

 minute. Nothing escaped his observation. I once 

 had occasion to foment a horse for many days 

 which had met with an accident, and it struck 

 Lord George that the sponges used were not large 

 enough. Upon returning to London, he instructed 

 Gardner, his valet, to buy some big sponges, and 

 have them sent to Harcourt House, Cavendish 

 Square. When they arrived, they did not satisfy 

 his ideas of magnitude. " Go again," he said, " and 

 search London until you can bring me six sponges 

 half as big again as these." Gardner again sallied 

 forth and returned with six enormous sponges, for 

 which he had paid 15 or 16. "There!" ex- 



