148 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



wearing, I hung it up in the hall and went to get fit for 

 breakfast. 



Scarcely had I sat down to that meal when it occurred 

 to me that people who would do you out of five francs 

 would not be above taking the money out of your 

 pocket, and I went out into the hall to examine my 

 coat. The twenty-five francs in the ticket pocket had 

 vanished, and the lady in the office was sitting demurely 

 at her books. 



Some men might have got savage in the circum- 

 stances, but I did not. I recognised that I had been 

 ridiculously outwitted, and smiled cheerfully at the 

 lady, while I returned to my breakfast. Experiences 

 such as this do the unsophisticated Englishman a lot 

 of good. 



Pleasant indeed are the memories of those times, and 

 what good things we sold to the French buyers, such 

 as the dams of La Camargo, Perth II., Masqud and 

 other great winners. M. Halbronn used to entertain 

 us all to breakfast on the Sunday mornings, and it is 

 sad now to think of his family, for the younger daughter, 

 a pretty girl, was drowned when bathing at Deauville, 

 and his son, Robert, quite a brilliant young fellow, 

 met his death in the war while serving in the Air Force. 

 To poor Tom Castle these French sales proved dis- 

 astrous. He was very young when he became stud 

 groom to Sir Blundell Maple, who allowed him more 

 latitude than was good for him. For example, when 

 Welfare, by Doncaster out of Lily Agnes, was being 

 sold in December 1894, Tom Castle stood by Sir 

 Blundell and urged him to buy her. She was hanging 

 fire at 510 guineas, and Sir Blundell had bid 500 but 

 then turned to his man and said : "If you're so keen 



