sunshine's "eox." 39 



continued rubbing his bead, with a monotonous movement, 

 against the shoulder of Puffy Doddles. 



" Come," said Robert Top's best lad, " there's no time to be 

 lost," and divesting himself of one or two superfluous articles of 

 dress, Puffy Doddles stood in the airy costume of a calico shirt 

 and unbraced pair of drab cloth breeches. Then it was that, 

 with a nimble but careful handling, he racked Sunshine's head 

 up, threw his hood lightly, and, with almost a ballet-like move- 

 ment over his quarters, washed out his mouth with an even six 

 go-downs of water, and presented him with a feed of corn as 

 good as the best granary in Newmarket could produce. Then 

 it was that, after gathering up in a basket what had frequently 

 been gathered before under similar circumstances, and shaking 

 up the litter into the corners of the box, and selecting and re- 

 moving certain portions, he grasped the handle of a broom, and 

 swept the pavement as clean as an upper housemaid might be 

 supposed to superintend the sweeping of a breakfast-room of an 

 upper family of great distinction. Then it was that, having 

 spread a light layer of straw over the clean pavement, he pro- 

 ceeded to brush over Sunshine's thighs and hocks, and, discover- 

 ing a slight stain on the near hind foot, as white as snow from 

 the fetlock to the coronet, proceeded to apply a wet sponge to 

 the temporary blemish with minute care, and smoothed down 

 each particular hair, till the effect bore a close similitude to 

 scraped ivory. Then it was that he proceeded to divide the silky 

 mane into even divisions, and plait them as even and free from 

 straggling hairs as were ever plaited by or for ball-room belle. 

 Then it was that — having completed his task — Puffy Doddles be- 

 came aware that a somebody, or somebodies, was, or were, about 

 to enter " the box " through that ordinary medium of ingress, 

 the door. Then it was that, upon a sympathising influence of his 

 eyes, acting upon his acute sense of hearing, he discovered the 

 presence of Mr. James Sloper and the head lad of the Great 

 Stable of the North, George Spindles. 



Mr. James Sloper never condescended to acknowledge or 



