320 HABITS OF LORD GEORGE BENTINCK. 



not yours. I insist, therefore, that you have her 

 singed without delay." Lord George was quite 

 right in his anticipation ; for instead of becoming 

 more nervous and irritable after losing her coat, 

 she became perfectly quiet in her work, and soon 

 put on a lot of flesh, of which she stood greatly 

 in need. 



Although very severe upon his race-horses in 

 training, and resolved to try them constantly, and 

 to run them in as many races as possible, some- 

 times twice in the same day, he greatly disliked 

 to see them punished and abused by jockeys. In 

 the stable he would go up to them in their stalls, 

 and fondle and caress them as if they were his 

 own children. To show how much he hated to 

 see a horse (however sorry a nag it might be) 

 cruelly treated, I remember being with him very 

 early one morning upon Epsom race-course during 

 the Derby week. In the furze-bushes at the top 

 of the hill a gipsy was ill-using and beating his 

 horse unmercifully, and Lord George called out to 

 him to desist. The gipsy paid no attention to the 

 remonstrance, and Lord George jumped off his 

 horse and threw the rein to me, bidding me to 

 remain there until he had given " that brute " a 

 sound hiding. I implored him not to do so, 

 reminding him that there were a lot of other 

 gipsies and roughs close by, who would be sure to 

 interfere on behalf of their friend and comrade, 

 and might do him some injury. Observing my 



