MR. COPPERTHWAITE HOODWINKED. 443 



' Most certainly/ I answered, ' or I would not have 

 tried the horses before yon.' 



As we walked back to the carriage together, I again 

 broached the subject, which indeed was discussed in a 

 most serious mood. 



' We have not,' I said, ' a shilling on him ' (meaning 

 Bevis), ' but this may be soon done; and what would 

 you like to stand on him, if I don't find anything 

 that can beat him? or on that, if I do ?' 



' Ten pounds,' he replied, ' and Mr. Murphy will 

 take a hundred.' 



I said it should be done, and shortly afterwards he 

 left for town. Taking up the paper two days later, I 

 saw the following:: ' Beuis was introduced into the 

 Cesare witch betting at 100 to 1, but soon became a 

 warm favourite, and left off at 30 to 1. This was 

 evidently a stable commission.' Now from what 

 has gone before, no one will for a moment suppose 

 that either I or the stable had backed him, or that 

 anyone else but Mr. Copperthwaite himself had done 

 so ; whilst everyone must be quite sure that the 

 headlong manner in which he had been unceremoni- 

 ously introduced into the list of quotations, would 

 only be equalled by the hasty method of his dis- 

 appearance from it. 



From this time Dulcibdla gradually crept up in the 

 market. She was tried again, and I found her as 

 £00(1 as Schism, at even weights, or two stone better 

 than Sutherland, which I regarded as one of the best 



