NEWMARKET 29 



far more than their value. To put it briefly, a sitting-room 

 and bedroom which would let for thirty shillings a week 

 in the West End of London can command ten pounds for 

 a race week at Newmarket. As a matter of fact the general 

 public have grown tired of these exorbitant charges, and 

 many of the regular habitues, taking advantage of the 

 facilities for economy offered by the railway, travel from and 

 to London by special train every day, or else take up their 

 quarters at Cambridge, Ely, or Bury St. Edmunds for the 

 week. Some fix themselves for the time being at the neigh- 

 bouring villages, and Exning, Dullingham, Burwell, and even 

 Mildenhall and Barton Mills, can claim a few at the summer 

 fixtures. As to the railway facilities referred to, the first- 

 class return fare between London and Newmarket is nineteen 

 shillings and eightpence, but the Great Eastern Railway 

 issue tickets for each of the series of meetings at an enor- 

 mous reduction. Thus there are three meetings in the spring 

 within a period of five weeks, during which there are eleven 

 days' racing, and for this series a first-class ticket costs 

 £4 los. The cost of eleven tickets at igs. 8cl would be 

 £10 i6s. 4^., so the contract ticket takes one down at less 

 than half the ordinary fare. The same policy is pursued 

 at the autumn meetings, and by this means those who do 

 not mind the journey can do their Newmarket meetings 

 from London at less than half the cost they would incur 

 if they stayed at the town itself 



Of course the up-and-down travellers miss the morning 

 work, to the lover of the horse Newmarket's greatest 

 attraction ; but with many followers of racing the morning 

 work — nay, even the horses themselves — are not of the 

 least importance. " So-and-so went a good gallop this 

 morning," I heard a well-known tout exclaim to a big 

 backer in the Birdcage one day. " Hang the good gallop," 

 answered the backer ; " all I want is to see the ' heads ' 

 back him when his number goes up." On each racing day 

 the G.E.R. run three or four specials from St. Pancras and 

 Liverpool Street to Newmarket, and two or three back again 

 after the racing. It is quite an easy matter to be able 

 to breakfast at one's usual time in town, see the full pro- 



