30 THE ENGLISH TURF 



gramme at Newmarket run through, and dine in town at 

 eight o'clock. 



The real lover of racing in its highest aspect will, however, 

 suffer some slight inconveniences, and stay at headquarters. 

 If he is a wise man, and not a very rich one, he will probably 

 find it best to take a cottage, and furnish a bedroom and 

 sitting-room for himself He will then either take a cook, 

 or a valet who can cook, with him each time he goes down, 

 and shut the house up when he leaves, or else he will secure 

 the services of a permanent housekeeper, who wishes to live 

 rent-free, and who will look after him when he is down. 

 Such housekeepers are perhaps not easily found, but I 

 knew of a case in which a married " head lad " and his wife 

 (with no children) were put into the cottage to reside. They 

 lived there altogether, and waited on my friend during the 

 race-weeks, or when he came down to try his horses. As 

 it happened, they were a useful, willing couple, the " head 

 lad " not being above cleaning his visitor's boots and brush- 

 ing his clothes. In fact, this particular arrangement answered 

 capitally, and my friend, who had previously had consider- 

 able experience of Newmarket lodgings, used to say that 

 the new method was far more comfortable, and cost half 

 the money. I may suggest that when such a system is 

 adopted it is as well to bring down as many eatables and 

 drinkables as possible, for Newmarket prices for the neces- 

 saries of life rise to an awful height during race weeks. 

 Amongst the many excessive charges I have had to endure 

 the most exorbitant was when I was called upon to pay three 

 shillings a pound for new potatoes in the Craven week, when 

 the regular price was eightpence or ninepence. That was in 

 lodgings, and as I was just leaving I had no time to ascer- 

 tain what percentage the landlady was adding for herself 

 Once I wanted a walking-stick, and thought that an ash- 

 plant would not cost very much. I saw a bundle at a shop 

 door, the sort of sticks one may buy for about ninepence in 

 any country market ; three shillings and sixpence I was 

 asked for it, and when I explained to the shopman that 

 his demand was a little over the regular price, his reply was, 

 " Oh, but it's race week ; we must make a bit of money in 



