54 SPORTING REMINISCENCES 



I remember bicycling to the library one day for 

 books with a very shy man and as we came back 

 seeing the Duke of Connaught and his staff riding 

 across. 



** He may want to speak to me, fly," said the 

 shy soldier, and he flew, but so did the thing 

 holding the books. 



Out they flopped under the feet of the horses, 

 and the good-looking Duke pulled up while a hot 

 and blushing man dived in and out collecting 

 them. 



I met such a charming Russian at the Hotel 

 there that year, wife of the ambassador or attache 

 in Paris, I cannot remember which. She spoke at 

 least six languages and was so amusing. She told 

 me the worst moment of her life was at her first 

 big dinner in Japan when they were there and a 

 little pink live fish was put on her plate and she 

 had to eat some. 



We took seats to see the procession in London, 

 but the crowd rushed the place, so in company 

 with a friendly charwoman and a sweep we had a 

 bird's-eye view from the roof. 



From Colchester I had my first experience of 

 English racing at Newmarket, when I saw the 

 Two Thousand. The complete impossibihty of 

 seeing anything except the horses in the paddock 

 was my difficulty. Lord Durham took off Lord 

 Rosmead to some place where he could see, but 

 we wandered out on the course, and being Irish 



