CONVICTION AND CONSEQUENCES. 23 



great stake she is engaged in. Now you know it is 

 safer to put the pot on to lose, than to win ; we can't 

 make the last certain, but we do sometimes the first 

 —eh ? " 



" Well, make your running, I'm waiting on you." " 



" Now then for it," said Jaques ; " Mr. Manderville 

 means to turn up the public. On this race he might 

 and would win something handsome, but I know he 

 can't keep up the game till then ; he won't back the 

 filly to any amount for the second race, so he won't 

 lose any thing to hurt him by losing that. You will 

 very shortly lose your berth ; so if you don't put 

 something handsome in your pocket in the mean 

 time, where will you be?" 



" Why, true enough," said Stevens, " I shan't even 

 get placed." 



" You made a pun there without meaning it, Ste- 

 vens," said Jaques ; " but you be guided by me, and 

 you shall be Avell placed, with something handsome 

 in your pocket into the bargain." 



The ale and the reasoning combined were too 

 much for the integrity of Stevens. The filly ran and 

 was " no where." True, as Jaques said, Manderville 

 lost but little on the race, but it stopped his chance 

 of bringing ofi* the great event as he intended, and by 

 which he hoped to realise what would for a time at 

 least have relieved him from his embarrassments. 

 Failing in this, he saw his hour was come. 



Manderville was not one to allow the water to 

 close over him while a reed floated on its surface 

 to grasp at. Trusting to his favourite but generally 

 deceptive hope, that something ivould turn up^ he 

 hastened to the old resource, Levi. 



On being ushered into the. little man's presence, his 



c 4 



