UPSET. 117 



Mabel cau scarcely believe it. Victory 

 seemed assured for her hero, and yet the race 

 was over and she had seen how it ended. Clive 

 had told her that the mare, one of those his dead 

 brother had left him, had proved to be surpris- 

 ingly good, able to gallop fast and long, and a, 

 wonderful jumper. She had appeared to do. 

 both ; but the common-looking little brown was 

 clearly her superior. The giii's heart was sad as 

 she hurried back across the park to the large, 

 house that stood hidden by the trees near to 

 which, that she might see, the trial ground had 

 been chosen. 



But it was with very different feelings 

 that another spectator of the trial slipped from 

 the hiding-place in the clump of trees near the 

 finish and made his, way down a narrow lane, 

 at the bottom of which a country boy was hold-, 

 ing a light dog-cart. Into this the stranger 

 stepped, and started off at a pace which promised 

 to complete the journey to Coltsfoxd, some twelve, 

 miles distance, well under the hour. Within, 

 that time the cart was stopped at the stables 

 belonging to the cavalry barracks,, and the driver 

 handing over his horse to a servant, bounded 

 lightly upstairs to a room furnished in military 

 fashion, where Crossley and Sir Thomas Aston 

 were seated smoking cigarettes and varying the 



