296 MEMORIES OF MEN AND HORSES 



the standard authority, and he himself remains as the 

 high priest of this new cult. 



Yet here again, whether it be from old age or rank 

 Toryism probably the latter I have never been able 

 to persuade myself to master even the rudiments of 

 bridge ; and, on the whole, I am not sorry, for one sees 

 so many people who are so obsessed by the game that 

 they seem to have no interest in anything else. Such 

 people, on a sea voyage, for instance, which to me is a 

 source of continuous pleasure, are bored to death if they 

 cannot make up a bridge party. They have no other 

 idea ; and I find that ignorance of the game is a most 

 useful safeguard, when they come and ask you to make 

 up a fourth. To say you are a bad player is no 

 sufficient excuse, but to be able to say that you don't 

 know how to play which is quite true in my case is 

 conclusive, and you can then resume reading your novel 

 or playing quoits or writing or doing whatever you 

 fancy. Beyond bridge the bridge players seem to fancy 

 nothing. 



As in the case of Association football so in the case of 

 bridge, my lack of appreciation must be imputed to me 

 for some deficiency of progress with the times. I fully 

 accept that position ; for it would be absurd to claim any 

 sort of standpoint against the march of obvious public 

 opinion of a later growth. 



I think I was put off football through well knowing 

 how it became called by names of such really foul origin 

 as " Rugger" and " Soccer" portmanteau words, in- 

 vented by a young fool at Oxford when Through the 

 Looking Glass had recently been published. 



The unsuspecting public are unaware of this now, 

 and even the Prince of Wales, when at Oxford, was 



