2o6 SKETCHES IN THE HUNTING EI ELD. 



him down to Hednesford, and it'll take a good one to 

 beat him for the Grand Military, or I'm liiuch mis- 

 taken." 



CHAPTER II. 



The 15th of February had dawned, and the sun was 

 shining down brilliantly on Kenilworth racecourse, as 

 if he took an interest in sporting matters ; and, indeed, 

 there seems some ground for the supposition, consider- 

 ing how good a whip Phoebus is reported to have been 

 in his ^''ounger days. Beauclerc had left his brother's 

 drag, and was loitering about by himself near the pad- 

 dock, noticing with pleasure the slight print his boots 

 left in the turf, which showed how good was the going. 

 The mare had progressed to her trainer's entire satis- 

 faction, and he was proudly leading her about before 

 her master's admiring eyes. Baron Heidenberg's horse, 

 Konig, had just arrived, and Beauclerc glanced at it 

 with a shade of anxiety in his face. As he had con- 

 fided to Evelyn, the Baron had won a heavy amount 

 from him lately, and Beauclerc had backed the mare 

 against Konig to an extent which he could not help 

 terming heav}^, though that was only one item in the 

 book he had made about her. However, there didn't 

 seem much to fear, considering the estimate he could 

 form of the horse's powers ; neither had he lost faith in 

 the mare, being rather inclined to believe that Achates 

 was an altogether exceptional animal. 



