MR. MERRY'S AGENTS. 321 



or anywhere else. Still he would often be with Mr. 

 Merry and Buchanan on the racecourse, and spend 

 the evening with them at their lodging's — evenings 

 which I am told were often extremely lively, especially 

 when the female element was present to assist the 

 festivities. It is to him that I am indebted for much 

 that I have said as to his patron's doings in the 

 cockpit. 



Of these two satellites of Mr. Merry, Buchanan 

 was the less worthy of the confidence he enjoyed. 

 I understand that, for one thing, he often betted more 

 than he was prepared to pay ; and at the end of the 

 week had to anticipate his expectations, or borrow of 

 his friend, to prevent the gentlemen of the ring making 

 unpleasant remarks in their primitive language, as 

 most assuredly they would have done, if every- 

 thing had not been attended to at the Corner with 

 business-like promptitude. An amalgamation of his 

 own with Mr. Merry's accounts often assisted him 

 after a bad week ; the difference, whatever it may 

 have been, being left as a rule to be settled with his 

 friend after. But complication of accounts soon led 

 to disputes, and the intimate friendship, extending 

 over many years, ended in a quarrel over money- 

 matters; and finally in a lawsuit, in which Buchanan 

 claimed money which he alleged he had paid on Mr. 

 Merry's behalf, and also payment for services done 

 and performed at his request. 



I cannot help thinking that the difficulty had its 



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