1 82 Among Men and Horses 



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twenty years younger than I am. She could not share with 

 me the amusements I had, knocking about at race-meetings 

 with all sorts of sporting characters, getting up boxing and 

 athletic matches, and other ' divarsions ' dear to the heart 

 of an Irishman. She is musical, a clever actress, and born 

 to shine in society. The weather was getting dreadfully 

 hot. The best racing pony I ever possessed died. Our 

 treasure of a cook, whose Roman punch and prawn cut- 

 lets were divine, disappeared with another man's wife ; and 

 my London publishers kept writing to me every mail, that 

 new editions of my books were required. My editorial work 

 allowed me no time to bring them out, and one of the best of 

 good fellows in the shape of Mr Harry Abbott made an offer 

 to buy our paper for a fair sum ; so what could I do, under 

 the pressure of all these circumstances, than accept it ? 



Among the English residents in India, public opinion does 

 not exist. Such a thing would be too absurd in a society in 

 which the juniors are dependent on the seniors for promotion, 

 leave, and all the small privileges which make life bearable. 

 The continued state of pupilage in which all but the few 

 lucky ones remain, knocks the manhood out of those who 

 dare not call their souls their own. The Indian official, 

 whether military, civilian, or departmental, is consequential, 

 infallible in his own eyes, and intolerant of outside criticism. 

 He regards as a gross personal insult the mention, however 

 well founded, in a newspaper, of any fault in the working of 

 the machinery over which he is the director. This gentleman 

 of the Vetat cest moi order maintains that if anything goes 

 wrong in his province, a report might be laid before him, but 

 should on no account be sent to a newspaper. In this 

 contention of his, which advocates the principle that every 

 man should be the sole judge of his own actions and those of 

 his subordinates, there is a large amount of human nature. 

 If his infallibility be acknowledged, he will rarely exhibit any 

 undue amount of insolence of office. Though narrow-minded, 

 on account of the routine nature of his training, he is kind- 



