128 HARK FORRARDI 



Tired out with a real hard day in the 

 saddle, he slept sound, and though many a 

 time and oft he dreamt of his love, still he did 

 manage to keep her to a certain extent in the 

 background all through the hunting season. 

 He knew, however, too well that as soon as 

 that was over, and time began to hang heavy 

 on his hands — he knew that then his thoughts 

 would revert only too surely to her. Distrac- 

 tion of some sort he must have, and so he made 

 up his mind to go in heavily for racing — a dan- 

 gerous game enough for a poor man who would 

 go in recklessly for backing his horses ; but as in 

 this instance Reginald had a rent-roll of fifteen 

 thousand a year besides valuable collieries, and 

 was moreover no fool, he could afford to spend 

 a few thousands over that most fascinating of 

 sports. He had had for two or three years a 

 small string in training at Mollerton, and only 

 last year had been so fortunate as to own one ■ 

 of the best two-year-olds in training. In fact 

 he had one colt in his stable, who, if he would 

 only put his best leg foremost in public would 



