MR VILLIERS'S TACTICS. 263 



Unfortunately all this manoeuvring and wire- 

 pulling ended in a terrible fiasco. Blaze was beaten 

 easily for the Two Thousand, finishing a bad third 

 to Flatcatcher and Glendower. This was a sad 

 disappointment and heavy blow to Mr Villiers ; 

 and in the ensuing- week he came down to Good- 

 wood, not in a very amiable temper, bringing Jem 

 Robinson with him, to try Surplice and Loadstone. 

 As the former was not fit to be tried, and as Mr 

 Mostyn and the Goodwood family had certain 

 contingent interests in the horses, I objected 

 strenuously to trying Surplice, who, in addition 

 to being a very big horse, went with rather a 

 straight knee, and was by no means a light goer. 

 Mr Villiers was greatly irritated by my opposi- 

 tion to his wishes, but in it I had made up my 

 mind to persist. He then expressed a desire that 

 Robinson might be allowed to ride Surplice a 

 gallop in his clothes, to which I gladly consented. 

 Led by an old horse, Surplice and Loadstone 

 galloped side by side, three - quarters speed, for 

 a mile and a quarter. When they pulled up 

 Robinson shook his head, and curiously eyed 

 Loadstone, who had galloped freely and Avell by 

 Surplice's side. 



In view of coming events " which cast their 

 shadows before," I took the opportunity of point- 

 ing out to Mr Villiers and to Robinson what, 

 from sure experience, I knew to be the fact — viz., 

 that they must not take any notice of the way 



