SWELL r 



79 



see where she went home to; and surely enough she 

 was ridden to a small public in the outskirts of the 

 town, where one of Mr. Plaits' boys was waiting for her, 

 and taking her from her rider, leisurely trotted home. 



Plaits was accustomed, it subsequently appeared, to 

 let out his master'-s horses to his friends, in return for 

 services rendered, and to casual acquaintances who were 

 looked on as safe, at so much a day. 



On a certain morning, too, Tourneymeade, happening 

 to go round to his stables — a very rare occurrence with 

 him — was somewhat surprised to see Mr. Plaits himself 

 ride into the yard on a horse which his master had been 

 hoping, by Mr. Plaits' kind permission, to ride himself 

 that day. The animal had every appearance of having 

 very recently, in ordinary phrase, been "done to a 

 turn," and Plaits was extremely surprised and annoyed 

 at seeing his master. 



" Hullo, Plaits, what's up ? " Tourneymeade inquired, 

 as he looked at the horse's drooping head and foam- 

 flecked sides. " What's this ? Firefly, isn't it ? " 



" He wanted a sweat, my lord," the groom somewhat 

 sulkily answered, " and I thought I'd better give it him 

 myself." 



" By Jove ! he's had it, too, hasn't he ? Pretty hot, I 

 should fancy ! " Tourneymeade observed. 



Neither he nor the owners of some half-dozen other 

 gallant steeds were acquainted with the fact that Plaits 

 and a few of his friends had that morning been running 

 off a catch-weight sweepstakes of ;^5 a head, and that 



