8 KINGSCLERE 



been said that ' he was always with her.' He had 

 a trying experience and a great fright when she 

 went to York, with him in constant attendance, to 

 run in the Great Northern and Flying Dutchman 

 handicaps. During the journey down the ventilator 

 of the van, a piece of perforated metal of about a 

 foot square, blew off, and left the mare exposed to a 

 dangerous draught. He placed a cushion over the 

 aperture, and kept it there without moving until the 

 completion of the journey. He felt very nervous as 

 the train dashed under the bridges lest she should 

 take fright ; but, thanks to her extreme docility, York 

 was reached without a mishap. It was reported 

 at York that ' she was to be poisoned.' Whether 

 the rumour was well or ill founded, every precau- 

 tion was taken to defeat the nobblers. John Day 

 and William Goater sat up all night with Virago, 

 and Porter himself slept in the box with her. In 

 order to make a certainty of it — to defend her at the 

 last extremity in the event of any enterprising mis- 

 creant entering the box ' in the dead waste and 

 middle of the night' — the boy threaded his wrist 

 through the strap of the mare's muzzle, and then, 

 making himself a bed in the litter, addressed 

 himself to slumber. He slept, and dreamt, and 

 in his dreams was yet attending on Virago. He 

 imagined that she had been poisoned. He saw 

 distinctly the poor creature quivering with agony, 

 and the froth of the deadly poison dropping from 

 her muzzle, and then, gently drawn to his feet, as 

 she herself got up after a tranquil night's rest, he 



