138 EACECOURSE AND COVERT SIDE. 



" Yes, indeed," Clive answered. " He could 

 have won with either ; but the Httle brown horse 

 had 31b. more to carry than the other." 



Some men in the regiment now approached 

 the drag to offer congratulations, and hoped that 

 Herries had backed his horse. Thanks to Sir 

 Thomas Aston, this was all right, and Clive had 

 won the comfortable sum of J63590. 



It was not a pleasant meeting between Aston, 

 Crossle}^, and Banks when the race was over. 

 To Aston, indeed, it really mattered little, for 

 he could afford the loss, though the thanks of 

 " friends," to whom he had prophesied Heartsease 

 as the winner, were gall and wormwood to him. 

 Crossley, however, brought himself to very nearly 

 the end of his military career ; but he had bought 

 experience. 



How a grand wedding at Selstead Towers 

 transformed Mabel Eoydon into the wife of 

 Captain Herries before the Christmas festivities 

 (kept up heartily in the good, old-fashioned 

 county) were over, it is not necessary to write in 

 detail. As regards the Eegimental Cup, the 

 most artfully-contrived machinations were Upset. 



