SCEPTRE AND HER OWNER 129 



how she developed heat in one of her fore-joints, 

 which before long passed right up to the knee, and the 

 veterinary opinion was that concussion was the cause. 

 However, with the shoe taken off, and continuous 

 fomentation, the trouble was localised and the heat 

 reduced, but the boys who knew anything about it 

 had been sworn to secrecy, and Sceptre's price 

 remained steady at 2 to i, though she was three days 

 in the stable at that critical time. 



The heat being entirely reduced, she was shod over soft 

 felt on that foot, and the very morning she was sent out for 

 a gallop there had been a lot of rain, which did no good 

 to the felt. Anyhow, just as she finished the gallop, off 

 came the shoe, with the felt under it, and the mare, 

 remembering the soreness there had been in that foot, 

 scarcely dared to put it to the ground for a stride or 

 two. In a few minutes she regained confidence and 

 found she could use it all right ; but had she been 

 trained in a less secluded place she would have been at 

 a comparatively long price before now. I am giving 

 these facts now at a time when they need cause no sort 

 of apprehension, for, as will presently appear, I know well 

 that Sceptre could not be better than she is at present. 



By the courtesy of Mr Sievier, I had come down 

 to spend a night at Elston House, which is close to 

 the old-world village of Shrewton, in Wiltshire, and 

 see Sceptre gallop in the morning. We were up and 

 away to the downs by 6.30 A.M., and a very pleasant 

 ride it was, for at this time of year early morning is 

 the best period of the day. Mr Sievier has no ap- 

 prehension at all that Sceptre can be beaten next 

 Wednesday, unless through some accident, and Randall 

 thinks she had fully a stone in hand in both her 



