THE FAVOURITE. I?.? 



"vvliose superior capabilities had given rise to tliese 

 attentions. 



If unfortunately in tliese times we liave no ^^ Warren " 

 open, to which by the bye, you had literally to ^^ walk up, " 

 and see the lions, there is given us instead the yet more 

 convenient paddock, and canter before the stand. And 

 one rattled by, and then another — and another — and 

 another, until at last with a warning- " hie ! hie ! hie !" 

 and a twelve or fifteen hundred guinea, useful sort of 

 horse, in his clothes, just to clear the way, comes the 

 crack himself — with a great sweeping stride, a coat shining 

 forth like gilded gold, and a resolute long and strong- 

 pull at his jockey, that makes one half afraid he'll have 

 honest Sim Simpleman over his head. Talk of being 

 untried, or unknown, or trumped up for a purpose ! look 

 at him, only look at him now, as every eye of the tens of 

 thousands is at this minute, and then offer vour ar^'ument 

 and odds against him. Odds, forsooth! half a point over 

 eleven to eight, and you are nailed to your word like a 

 bad shilling to a St. Giles' shop-board. ^^ The gentlemen' ' 

 are in the rig-ht box for once, and the ring will be done 

 to a tinder. '' A thousand even the favourite wins !" and 

 his white jacket is up the hill and round the turn just 

 where it should be — *^the favourite! the favourite; the 

 favourite in a canter !'' And then there's a hustle, and 

 cracking and closing up — and it's No. 3 instead of No. 1, 

 after all — and the King of the Valley has won the Derby, 

 and the favourite's broken down half a distance from 

 home ! 



Of course it was just wheat might have been expected. 

 " Men must have been mad, and nothing" less, to back anv 

 * animal ' alive upon hearsay, to the tune they did : a 

 horse, moreover, with scarcely a good point about him,. 



