ANOTHER CHANCE. 97 



" lie's a race 1 oss ! " ejaculated Mr. James Sloper. " He can 

 both stay and fly ! " 



A sincere response was given to this sentiment by Puffy 

 Doddles uttering a hearty " That he can ! " 



Mr. James Sloper appeared, figuratively speaking, to be re- 

 called to his senses, and to pass a hasty resolution upon the 

 spot to confine his thoughts, instead of permitting them to 

 range by " thinking aloud." 



" You'll ride strictly to orders 1 '' interrogatively said he. 



Puffy Doddles was about delivering an emphatic answer, 

 when the raised forefinger again checked the words, until they 

 died away in silence upon his lips. 



" That being so," resumed Mr. James Sloper, " I have almost 

 made up my mind to give ye another chance," and, upon com- 

 pletion of the sentence, abruptly quitted the box, leaving Robert 

 Top's best lad to meditations both deep and painful. 



CHAPTER XX. 



The racing season was drawing to a close. But one more great 

 handicap had to be contended for previous to the commence- 

 ment of the Houghton Meeting, in which Sunshine occupied 

 the conspicuous place of " top weight." " The race being in 

 the scales," it was the unanimous opinion of " the talent" that, 

 good as Sunshine had proved himself to be, and great as his 

 performances unquestionably were, it was not in his power " to 

 pull off the Cesarewitch with eight stone seven." In other 

 words, he was considered stopped by the weight. Books, 

 therefore, were opened freely against the winner of the Derby 

 and Leger, and book-makers snapped up stray offers to back 

 him at " liberal odds," thirty to one being taken. It was soon 

 discovered that "the stable" had backed the horse for an. 

 immense stake, and rumours of a favourable trial, in which it 



G 



