/ SELL HIM 'CEDRIC 333 



This I carried out pretty much after the fashion of 

 the Cheap- Jacks, coming down first from £1,500 to 

 £1,400; then from £1,400 to £1,300; and lastly, 

 from £1,300 to £1,200; but all to no effect. His 

 lordship refused each offer in succession ; and I felt 

 that I had exhausted nry knowledge of persuasive 

 arguments to exhibit Cedric in his most flattering; 

 form. I had, in fact, to give in, fairly confessing 

 myself unequal to the task of convincing him of the 

 intrinsic worth of so valuable an animal. And it 

 was plainly evident, too, that his lordship had as 

 much faith in his own knowledge of the horse's 

 running; as in anvthim> - that emanated from me 

 respecting him — which was also a little relief to my 

 mind. 



Having so singularly failed in my advances, I had 

 to reverse my tactics and make a waiting race of it, 

 which, as it turned out, succeeded admirably. After 

 a little while, I said : 



' What offer, my lord, can I tell Mr. Parker you 

 will make?' 



' If I don't have the horse at all,' was his answer, 

 delivered with some warmth and apparent determina- 

 tion, ' I will never give more than £1,100 for him.' 



And to these degenerate terms, strange to say, I 

 submitted, and Cedric became his lordship's horse, and 

 was sent next morning to his trainer, Sam Rogers, 

 at Newmarket ; which destination, I was glad to hear 

 on the return of the boy, he safely reached in good 



