THE FAVOURITE. 171 



suit, and broiig-lit the premier price down to four. The 

 sporting sweepers went on with it, and bought him up 

 right and left like safe shares from ^'' capital " companies. 

 The picture papers spared no expense, naturally, in 

 gratifying such a taste, and exhibited correct portraits in 

 all positions, from bird's-eye views obtained through 

 quickset hedges, rugs, and quarter-cloths, or, as likely 

 quite, from the mere force of imagination. The prophets 

 went head and head with their brothers of the brush too, 

 and showed in no time he had the finest shoulders and the 

 stoutest blood of any horse in England. Moreover, the 

 touts confirmed it all with curious cries of ^^ curby hocks," 

 "high blowing," '^ queer temper," " sore shins," and so 

 on. That was enough, he'd got the ear of the whole 

 world, and the voice of the majority ; and so the 

 commissioner bet his even hundred at once, just to 

 settle the matter, that '^he's first favourite before 

 startino"." 



And so he was sure enough , and the Honourable 

 Prior William Conqueror, as the happy owner, got more 

 up in his stirrups, and quiet Mr. Make-believe, as the 

 trainer, more mysterious than ever. The breeder, again, 

 in the becoming* pride of his heart, announced an " own 

 brother," for sale for five thousand down, and four 

 thousand more if he w^on the Derby. West- end exquisites 

 went on their knees for '^ orders " to see him, and clever 

 men with no acknowledged authorities or characters be- 

 yond their breeches pockets were equally urgent with 

 orders to buy him. But the tact of Make-believe kept 

 off the former as effectually as the faith of Prior William 

 Conqueror did the latter. He had established an awkward 

 precedent by presenting the horse of his stable to the lady 

 of his heart, and so the grand event became one quite as 



