242 SKETCHES IN THE HUNTING FIELD. 



moment after Monsieur went out, and left a note for 

 Monsieur, which the speaker handed to me. I opened 

 it in fear and trembling. Surely he had not slipped off 

 again ? But he had. 



" Dear Charlie," the note ran, — 



*' What the deuce are you doing over here ? Wish 

 I'd known you were coming, and we'd have travelled 

 together. Sorry I can't stay to dine, but I'm off to Nice 

 by the 7.15. Got to see about a villa for my uncle. — 

 Yours, H. L." 



Nice ! A little journey of something over twenty-four 

 hours ! But I would have followed him now if he had gone 

 to the Fiji Islands. Why had I not left a note'telling him 

 that Muffin Boy wasn't meant for the Gloucester Cup ? 

 However, the next thing was to go to Nice, and there 

 was certainly plenty of time on the journey to think 

 what I would do when I got there. The Continental 

 Bradshaw is a particularly irritating work at all times, 

 especially for a journey where one gets the " a.m." and 

 "p.m." mixed up. The 7.15 train by which Leonard 

 had gone I could not have caught, for it was nearly 7 

 when I reached the Imperial, and the station for Mar- 

 seilles is, as most people are aware, nearly an hour's 

 drive from the Boulevard des Capucines. 



There seemed to be a train at 11. 10 p.m., arriving at 

 Nice at 3.54, and another at 11. 15 a.m., reaching its 

 destination at 2.6, together with one at 8 p.m., which 

 never got to Nice at all. The 11.15 in the morning 



