THE WAGES. 113 



wrangled and chaffed the coper in turns ; until finally 

 they agreed to trot the mare against his horse for a 

 hundred pounds a-side. The traveller posted the money 

 on the table and the coper covered it, and a sporting 

 miller, resident in the village, who dropped in casually, 

 was deputed to hold the stakes. It was agreed that the 

 race should come off over the same ground on the fol- 

 lowing day. 



The traveller and butcher were in high glee ; indeed, 

 the latter booked the race as his own, and particularly 

 requested the insertion of a proviso in the agreement, 

 " that either party failing to be at the post at twelve 

 o'clock the day following, should forfeit the money 

 down." This was signed by both parties, and shortly 

 after the company broke up, the coper staying at the 

 inn all night, and the confederate, who had well played 

 his part of " keeping the game alive," slept at another 

 inn. 



Long before twelve o'clock the day following, might 

 be seen all the horse talent in the neighbourhood as- 

 semble at the place of meeting for the great trot. The 

 butcher was most anxious to drive the mare ; but the 

 owner preferred the honour of driving her himself. 

 She was a high-bred, hot-tempered animal, very un- 

 likely to trot a mile through a crowd in company, with- 

 out breaking. The coper knew this very well. He 

 also knew by the nervous, anxious twitching of the 

 traveller's face, that the night's drinking had done its 

 work : and that, although he had assumed drunkenness 



x 



