ladies' plate at LEICESTER. 105 



lation between master and man ; " and the longer you keep m," 

 continued lie, " the more you'll drop." 



" Ha ! " ejaculated Jemmy Clever, at the termination of a 

 long-drawn sigh. " What with winning when he ought to ha' 

 lost, and a loosin' when he ought to ha' won, I'll be damn'd if he 

 hasn't put us all nicely in the hole, and 7io mistake !" 



"If he was mine," observed Jack Swiggle, "I'd take 

 precious good care he never did it again. There's no say in' 

 now," continued he, " and never will again, what he'll do or 

 what he won't ; and when that's the case with any oss, the 

 sooner he's parted comjDany with the better." 



" The proprietor of a third " seemed to make a hidden 

 admission within himself that my attendant's argument pos- 

 sessed considerable force, for he appeared for a few seconds 

 completely silenced. With an irrelative condemnation, however, 

 of some of the most useful members of his body, Jemmy 

 Clever, at length, gave it as a sentiment, discreetly balanced in 

 the scale of reflection, that his policy would be to " have one 

 more go in for the Ladies' Plate at Leicester." 



"He's well in," said my ostensible owner, "and if he'll only 

 start, he'll win it." 



" Oh ! " returned Jack Swdggle, somewhat suddenly, " he's 

 to win the Ladies' Plate at Leicester, is he 1 " 



" The proprietor of a third " gave a slight nod signalling an 

 affirmative. 



" Am I to have the moimt ? " inquired my attendant, and, 

 watching him closely as he spoke, I thought he pourtrayed more 

 than usual interest in the expected reply. 



"ISTo," said Jemmy Clever ; "the hoss can't run worse when 

 you're on him ; so he may run better with a strange cove up." 



"'Xactly so," rejoined Jack, carelessly; but I was satisfied 

 of there being deep, very deep, disappointment both in the tone 

 of his voice and manner. 



" The stakes aint much, and I shan't back 'm for more than 

 a tenner or two," resumed " the proprietor of a third ;" " but, 

 win or lose, they're the last he shall go for on my account." 



" And a downy move, too," returned Jack Swiggle. " The 



