44 STABLE SECRETS. 



Smoothy, and his nose had that hooked or aquiline form which 

 may frequently be seen in the prominent features of the deni- 

 zens of the Minories. No shadow of a tradition, however, exists 

 for the faintest reasonable conjecture to be formed respecting 

 the birth, parentage, or education of Bill Smoothy. There he 

 stood in the prime of manhood, with a remarkably showy blue 

 and white cravat, tied with scrupulous neatness round his 

 neck, in the subscription-room at Tattersall's occasionally yclept 

 "The Corner," easy in manner, easy in circumstances, and 

 engaged in his usual avocation of adapting the means to the 

 end of easing anybody of any amount of the circulating 

 medium which his superior sagacity might enable him to 

 secure. 



"He's as good as a dead 'un, I suppose," remarked Bill 

 Smoothy to an aristocratic member of the Bing, engaged, at 

 this particular moment of the recording of man's doings and 

 misdoings, in making a close examination of the pages of a 

 small pocket-book, and apparently checking the several items 

 contained therein with the fine point of a miniature pencil. 

 " He's as good as a dead 'un, I suppose," repeated the commis- 

 sioner of the Great Stable of the North. 



" Ya-as," drawled out the aristocratic member of the Bing, 

 still keeping his eyes fixed upon the open page of his small 

 volume. " Ya-as," continued he, " there's no doubt o' that ; " 

 and then the aristocratic member of the Bing twisted the 

 points of the golden moustache, falling luxuriantly over his 

 upper lip, and smiled as he drew Bill Smooth y's particular atten- 

 tion to an entry in the book with the fine point of his miniature 

 pencil. 



" Five thousand to five hundred against Sunshine," perused 

 Bill Smoothy. " Humph ! that monkey's as good as collared." 



" Ya-as," replied the aristocratic member of the Bing, curling 

 his golden moustache round an elaborately-jewelled finger. 

 " I — haugh — flatter myself — haugh — that I may stand that out 



-haugh ! 



5> 



