94 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



many, probably never tried him in sucb pursuit. 

 If, however, he really has won more than once, 

 I can account for it. He was run in some selling 

 stake against some lot of valuable animals entered 

 at twenty pound. Win or lose, it was found 

 nobody would take him, so he was started again 

 in the hope of, as the throw at the prize-men say, 

 ' better luck next time ; ' but finding it all in 

 vain, another dodge has been tried, and it seems 

 has succeeded. I should almost be tempted to 

 say,'^ added I, "that you were accommodated 

 with this lath and plaster steeple-chaser in the 

 neighbourhood of Oxford Street.^' 



" You really are quite right,^^ said my friend ; 

 " I did get him in that neighbourhood : but how 

 did you surmise this ? ^' 



" Merely at random," said I ; " but really 

 thinking as I do, that you have found one of the 

 veriest wretches I ever saw, I turned over in 

 my mind, where you could have got him, and 

 thinking of this locality, I said with Romeo, ' Here 

 lives a caitiff v/retch would sell it him.^ " 



" I assure you," said my friend, " the person I 

 bought him of, to quote a term he used, said 

 ' Bricklayer ^ was as good a horse as ever he 

 pulled out to sell." 



^' Pray," said I, " did he add he was as good a 

 horse as ever was ' pulled in ' to lose, for if so you 

 have got a trump card." 



