Gentlemen Riders 



hung out signals of distress, a great race home between 

 the other two resuUing in a victory for Billy, on Woodlark, by 

 a short head. 



" Those were the palmy days of the Curraghmore Hunt, 

 and, in consequence, the race caused the greatest excitement 

 among the country people, of whom there was an enormous 

 concourse present, and Lord William being a great favourite 

 in the district, his victory was popular in the extreme." 



On giving up riding in public, Lord Marcus was appointed 

 starter to the Jockey Club, a post which he resigned for another 

 of far higher importance, viz. that of Master of the Horse to 

 King Edward — then Prince of Wales. 



How admirably the arrangement worked v/e are all aware, 

 and though, as is not infrequently the case, the good luck 

 which had from the commencement attended the Royal colours, 

 deserted them for a while, it was not for long, and at the 

 time of writing, it looks very much like there being a very 

 permanent revival of the Persimmon and Diamond Jubilee 

 days, in which case, you may be sure, the subject of our 

 memoir will be one of the first to be congratulated. 



Full of fun, and like the majority of his countrymen, 

 possessed of a ready wit, the sayings and doings attributed to 

 Lord Marcus Beresford would fill a good-sized book. 



Passing St. George's Hospital one day, the friend with him 

 remarked that one of its chimneys was leaning against another 

 for support. " Of course it is," was the unexpected reply. 

 ** Don't you know the hospital is entirely supported by assist- 

 ance from outside ? " 



The joke, too, he once perpetrated on a highly respectable 

 tradesman at Epsom, when resident there in the long ago 

 as presiding genius over the stable full of jumpers, including 

 some belonging to the then Prince of Wales, trained by the 



354 



