THE HAUGHTY SHIRE HUNT. 71 



"You must sell this brute. He's a confirmed bolter; 

 nobody will ever be able to hold him ^Yhen he's fairly started 

 after hounds. Now, you send him up to Aldridge's. I know 

 Sprange, one of the bosses up there, and I'll ask him to look 

 after the horse, give him a loose-box and all that. Sprange is 

 the Ijest chap in the world. And perhaps we could pick you 

 up a cheap hunter at the same place, eh? " 



But Travers was minded to get a safe hunter, not a cheap 

 one. After all, it was only a question of 'Pa' putting his 

 hand a little deeper into his pocket. That wouldn't matter 

 to Mr. Binkie Senior ; certainly it wouldn't to Mr. Binkie 

 Junior. 



" No-o, thanks," he squeaked. "I want to get a nice quiet 

 horse; something like the one Mrs. Joggletilt was on, on 

 Tuesday, you know." 



"That thing!" exclaimed Tommy in disgusted tones, 

 " why the beggar can't go as fast as a man can kick his 

 hat!" 



"Oh, I don't want to go very fast, but I like horses that 

 will keep still when you wish 'em to. If they get over the 

 jumps safely, that's all I want," said Binkie. 



" Get over the jumps '? " repeated Tommy abstractedly. He 

 was thinking of something else at the moment. " Sounds 

 like an attack of the wiffle-wafiles, don't it? " 



"Yes," continued Trousers. "I want 'em safe, you know. 

 I don't want my neck broken." 



"And so say all of us!" quoted his friend. "Now I'm 

 going upstairs to change. I suppose your blessed horse will 

 find his way home, or be brought home. Why, here he is, 

 with a gipsy-looking rascal riding him up to the stables. You 



