22 THE LIFE OF A EACEHORSE. 



he takes his spins, when he's corky, and when the reverse. I 

 want to know when he feeds well, and when he's off his feed ; 

 when he's in physic, and what for. I want to know if a screw's 

 loose, and where, if it lies in your overalls to tell me, Harry ; 

 but whatever you say, let it be what you knoio. I can guess 

 better than you." 



" Yessir," briefly coincided Harry, with a tendency of a 

 finger and thumb to the duck's tail. 



"What amount o' savin's may you have by ye?" inquired 

 our head groom. 



" Three-pun-ten, sir," replied Harry, with the confidence of 

 a capitalist. 



" It's more than many can call their own who go to New- 

 market and bet as if the Bank o' England was a prop to fall 

 back upon," remarked Robert. "Brass, however, often wears 

 a' brighter face than gold," continued he, " as you'll find out 

 sooner than you are now aware of, Harry ; but do as I tell ye, 

 and that three-pound-ten shall " 



Harry Dale lifted his light gray, restless eyes, and dropped 

 a jaw, as Mr. Top made an effective pause in the sentence — 

 "be your chink to the shutter to all in the ring," added he. 



Harry Dale, — that day was mine : this is yours. 



CHAPTEEIV. 



MY FIRST JOURNEY. 



At cockcrow — when the east was just tinged with the first 

 light of an early summer's morning — Mr. Top entered my box, 

 accompanied by Harry Dale. Placing one hand across my nose, 

 our head groom rubbed my head and neck with the other as he 

 pressed them fondly to his breast, saying as he did so, " I'm a- 

 goin' to lose ye, lad. This day may be counted as the beginnin' 

 o' your bless-ed ups an' downs, ins an* outs, squares, crosses, all 

 round my hat, pumpkin to-day, squash to-morrow, minnow an' 



