HIS HATRED OF DISHONESTY. 321 



earnestness, and acknowledging the justice of 

 my remarks, his Lordship remounted his horse, 

 adding, "You have disappointed me in giving that 

 scoundrel a good thrashing ; but perhaps you are 

 right." 



All those in Lord George's service who did their 

 duty with zeal and fidelity were sure to be hand- 

 somely rewarded. Although not prone to suspicion, 

 he was indefatiofable in his exertions to unmask 

 dishonesty, and to bring those guilty of it to well- 

 merited punishment. In 1844, for instance, when 

 Red Deer and other horses were being prepared 

 for the Chester Cup, my letters to Lord George, 

 addressed to Harcourt House, were opened by 

 some miscreant connected with the Post Office 

 in London. By a clever device the paper was 

 cut just outside of the seal — there were no envel- 

 opes in those days — and after the contents had 

 been read, it was again closed by a hot iron ap- 

 plied to the edge of the sealing-wax, which was 

 made to extend over the cut. Occasionally a little 

 additional wax was employed. Upon one occasion 

 the letter had not been effectually reclosed, and 

 Lord George discovered the fraud. He then ex- 

 amined other letters which he had received from 

 me, and had no difficulty in detecting the treachery 

 of which he had been made the object. His first 

 step was to warn me to seal my letters with a 

 wafer, and then to cover the wafer with wax. He 

 remarked that moisture would not act upon the 



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