MR FRANCIS VILLIERS. 265 



skilful than myself, the Duke and his family would 

 not have been in the unfortunate position into 

 which I had plunged them by advising them to 

 back Surplice for the Derby, Next morning the 

 Duchess of Richmond sent for me, and told me, 

 with her usual frankness and kind consideration, 

 all that Mr Yilliers had said at luncheon on the 

 previous day. Her Grace then added, " Do not 

 heed what Mr Villiers may have said, John, as it 

 will take some one with much more influence than 

 he possesses to prejudice us against you." Her 

 Grace's kind and trusting assurances of her un- 

 shaken confidence and support brought balm and 

 healing to my wounded self-respect. Before long 

 the Duke of Richmond came to the stables and 

 remarked to me, " Mr Yilliers is still quite a young- 

 man, and perhaps does not know quite as much as 

 he thinks he does." 



Upon Mr Villiers's return to London, he con- 

 tinued, with his habitual confidence in his own 

 judgment, to back Loadstone for the Derby, and 

 soon made him first favourite, which caused Lord 

 George Bentinck and Lord Henry Gordon Lennox 

 to feel very uneasy. Lord George wrote to me 

 saying that he had received a remarkable letter 

 from Mr Yilliers which he could not understand, 

 and he wanted to know what it meant. His 

 Lordship inquired, further, whether I was still of 

 the same opinion as to the merits of the two 

 horses as when he last saw me. My reply was 



