AND TIMES OF JOHN OSBORNE 143 



this isolated spot, which was unknown and inaccessible 

 to the touts, Lord Clifden did such rousing gallops from 

 day to day that he stumped up the 3000 guinea purchase, 

 Zetland, Necromancer, and Charles Fox.. 



Lord Clifden was sent in advance to Doncaster 

 the Saturday before the St. Leger. Quoting from the 

 ' Van Driver " in Baily's Magazine, " Nothing," he 

 writes, " could be more diverse than the ideas formed of 

 him the next morning when he appeared on the course. 

 According to strict Doncaster etiquette, he should have 

 gone a splitter round the course whether it was as hard 

 as asphalte or as deep as lime. And not having com- 

 plied with the usual precedent, a renewal of the 

 hostilities in the ring took place, which a quiet canter 

 on Monday did not cause to abate. Tuesday morning 

 being rumoured to be the dress rehearsal, the critics 

 were in great force, but except from the two ' Johns ' 

 (Osbornes) there was no applause, and he wa"s rather 

 damned with faint praise than commended as he ought 

 to have been. ' No horse could take that gallop that had 

 not been trained,' was the remark of Captain White to 

 John Scott, as he went up to the Whitewall brougham, 

 which stood as usual at the bend where the jockeys pull 

 up. ' Yes, you are right ; I'm afraid I cannot best him, 

 and I would just as soon he had been left at home,' was 

 the reply of the veteran Leger trainer. But although 

 this opinion became known, and the Captain was 

 summoned to a medical survey in the stable afterwards, 

 no one would have the horse, and no reason could be 

 assigned for it with any good cause. 



" ' I do not like thee, Doctor Fell, 

 The reason why I cannot tell.' 



" All concerned in him were nervous save ' Lord 

 Frederic,' who enjoyed the confusion and surveyed the 



