WHERE WAS 'DELILAH?' 



399 



was entered in them. I don't for one moment 

 suggest that anything improper was done ; but that 

 Mr. Simpson should take upon himself extra work of 

 the kind that properly should have fallen to the stud- 

 groom is curious. Of one thing, however, there can 

 be no doubt; and that is, that on the night before 

 his sale at Diss, he knowingly falsified the name of 

 one of his mares. I was staying at his house for the 

 sale, and in the evening told him I had come to buy 

 Delilah and Amaranth. 



' They are not here,' Mr. Simpson said in reply. 

 ' But they are close by, and you shall have them 

 another time.' 



Thus the matter seemed at an end for the moment ; 

 but next morning, on looking round the mares before 

 the sale, I came to a black mare, on which Sturgeon, 

 who accompanied me, promptly said : 



' I don't know how she's bred, but Mr. Simpson 

 can tell you. She's No. 44 on the catalogue.' 



On looking at the document I saw that No. 44 

 was ' a black mare, pedigree unknown, covered by 

 Delight? I looked at her again for an instant, and 

 exclaimed : 



' Why, it's Delilah /' 



' Oh no, sir !' says Sturgeon. ' It's not her.' 



' I'm quite positive she is,' I said ; and after a little 

 fencing Sturgeon confessed. 



' I told Mr. Simpson, sir,' he said, ' that you would 

 be sure to know her.' 



