138 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



to Cobham next morning (Sunday).- The first question 

 he asked was : " What is Kirkconnel's figure ? " 



This was in the earliest days of the Bruce Lowe 

 book, and I imagined him to be alluding to the price. 

 Not knowing what Sir Blundell might have said on 

 the previous day, I hesitated before replying, until the 

 Count went on : " But you, of all people, should know 

 his Bruce Lowe figure ! " 



Then, of course, I knew what he was driving at, and 

 told him that it was No. 5. 



He bought a mare or two at Cobham that day, and 

 returning to Childwick Bury next day, bought Kirkconnel 

 and two or three mares for 10,000 guineas the lot. 



Sir Blundell Maple was in most respects a generous, 

 open-handed man, but in small matters of business he 

 had his foibles. He got Tom Castle to telephone to me 

 that he had sold Kirkconnel himself, and that I ought 

 to be content with ^100, to which I replied : " Certainly 

 not; .250 is due and must be paid." Tom Castle 

 replied that Sir Blundell was off colour and in a bad 

 temper it would be better to let the matter slide for 

 the present. 



This accordingly was done, and it was in the days 

 when unborn foals could be insured. Sir Blundell had 

 one mare whose unborn foal was insured at my office 

 f r ^300 and that was Zee. The foal was born dead, 

 and, all being in order, we collected the money from 

 the underwriters and "lay low." After a while came 

 an inquiry from Sir Blundell's secretary as to when 

 we were going to settle for the loss. By return of 

 post a cheque for ^50 was sent and a credit for ^250 

 " Kirkconnel commission." 



I met Sir Blundell the next day at Sandown Park 



