GRAND PARADE 



I accompanied them round the boxes. Presently we 

 came to Orme, who was as usual wearing a muzzle 

 because of his habit of trying to bite the metal strips 

 on the walls of his box. I noticed some saliva dripping 

 from his muzzle, and after my visitors had departed 

 went back to Orme to find out what was the matter. 

 An examination revealed a swollen mouth. 



' The first idea to enter my head was that there 

 must be some tooth trouble, and I at once sent a 

 telegram to Loeffler, the horse dentist at Newmarket, 

 requesting him to come to Kingsclere. He arrived 

 the following day, and declaring that one of Orme's 

 incisors was diseased, extracted it. We both examined 

 the tooth. Loeffler asserted it was diseased. With 

 that opinion I disagreed ; I satisfied myself that the 

 tooth was perfectly sound. There was no doubt an 

 offensive odour given off, but I protested that it was 

 due to the decomposing food adhering to the tooth. 

 Loeffler strongly resented the expression of my opinion, 

 contradicting as it did his diagnosis, and he became 

 very excited. Anyhow, the removal of the tooth 

 brought no relief to Orme. He became indeed 

 rapidly worse, so I summoned Mr. Williams, the 

 veterinary professor, who hastened to Kingsclere 

 together with his son. After a careful examination 

 they told me that Orme had been poisoned. I had 

 already come to the same conclusion. By now the 

 tongue was so enlarged that Orme could swallow 



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