410 RACING CAREER OF SIR W. H. GREGORY. 



word that Tom Ferguson's reply to my letter 

 should be kept secret, and shown to no one. 



" When Ferguson's letter reached me three or 

 four days later, Lord George's commissioner was at 

 my house expecting it. I, little knowing what sort 

 of a man I was dealing with, was persuaded by 

 him to let him have the letter, which he solemnly 

 pledged himself to return to me the same evening. 

 From that day forward I never again was in the 

 same room with him, and never spoke to him again. 

 His promises proved to be as faithless as he was 

 himself, and whenever we were near each other on 

 a race-course after the occurrence I am now recit- 

 ing, he took very good care to get out of my way. 

 Immediately upon leaving my house, the individual 

 of whom I am now writing carried Ferguson's 

 letter to Lord George Bentinck, who saw that the 

 information contained in it would inevitably give 

 the Derby stakes to Orlando. With characteristic 

 energy Lord George started off without a moment's 

 delay to Ireland, and on arriving at the Curragh 

 found Tom Ferguson ill in bed with the gout. At 

 first he refused to see his Lordship, but the latter 

 sent up word that he had in his possession a letter 

 written by Ferguson to myself. Seeing what a 

 fix he was in, Ferguson determined to receive Lord 

 George in his bedroom, and gave him all the infor- 

 mation of which he was himself possessed." 



The following letter from Lord George Bentinck 



