18 DANGEROUS CUSTOMERS. 



that any thing Avorth while could be "got on:" in 

 short, both horse and man looked like " dangerous 

 customers" to deal with. On the table, by the side 

 of this visitor, stood a bottle of brandy, and a jug of 

 cold water : to a large tumbler of the latter, he had 

 added a couple of tea spoonfuls only of the brandy, 

 with which he merely wetted his lips ; and though his 

 face bore evident traces of often drinking deeply, the 

 methodical mode in which he now partook of his 

 beverage, showed that he was constantly placed in 

 situations, where he felt it indispensably necessary to 

 keep a cool head, and an observing eye on others of 

 less cautious habits. 



The first of these two, was Manderville's private 

 trainer. When Fred, first kept a couple of race-horses, 

 this man trained for him as well as others : he was in 

 short a public trainer, and up to the night when the 

 London visiter arrived, had been deservedly re- 

 spected for his integrity to his employers. Fred., like 

 most men, soon found racing rather an expensive 

 amusement, and that acting on the principle of a man 

 of honour, namely, always "running to Avin," was 

 sometimes in the end " running to lose ;" at least it 

 was so in his case. Annoyed and disgusted at this, he 

 now determined, if possible, to turn the tables on those 

 who had hitherto profited by his inexperience : he 

 bought more horses, took Stevens as his private 

 trainer, made a book, worked by it, and in short, 

 where he got a chance, " turned up " his friends and 

 the public as well as the best of them ; having, as 

 his groom Dawson said, found out, that if he did not 

 get the best of others, they would (and had done) of 

 him. He had latterly been more fortunate, and his 

 horses had in fact helped him to keep up an appear- 

 ance, that the inroads he had made on his property 



