200 In Scarlet and Silk 



Od one occasion I was with him when a 

 person of the " sporting gent " order, bolder 

 than most (for it took a bold man to ask 

 Alec Taylor impudent questions !) accosted 

 him with " Morning, Mr. Taylor. Which is 

 it to be for next week's race, the horse or 

 the mare ? " alluding to Eiridspord and Reve 

 d'Or, then being backed for the City and 

 Suburban at Epsom. 



I "sat tight " for an explosion, but none 

 came. The master of Manton merely ob- 

 served — 



" Well, should you back Eiridspord if he 

 could give So-and-So a stone over the dis- 

 tance?" and the clever gentleman on the"nod's- 

 as-good-as-a-wink " principle, exclaimed — 



"I sliould, Mr. Taylor!" and walked off, 

 highly pleased with the result of his impudent 

 questioning. 



" And so should I," drily observed Taylor, 

 as we got out of earshot, " hut he cant /" 



The photograph of the man who succeeded 

 in getting " a rise " out of Alec Taylor would 

 be an unique possession. 



