ROOKS AND PIGEONS. 147 



ride the distance from the course ? " Summers 

 asked. 



" No ; oh no ! Goodwood is forty miles 

 away, Birdingley is nigh on thirty ; no horse 

 could do it," the little barber answered, half 

 delighting in the mystery, and not anxious for 

 any simple explanation. 



Summers smiled, and quietly asked, " Is he a 

 pigeon fancier ? A bird, perhaps, might bring 

 the news if a horse could not ? " 



But heads were shaken at the idea. 



*' Not he ! That's not it. He couldn't train 

 pigeons to fly and we know nothing about it. 

 We should see them about the place, sure 

 enough. It's out of the way, the farm is, but 

 not far enough out for him to try that without 

 us knowing of it. There isn't a pigeon on the 

 farm, barring a wild one, perhaps, in a tree," 

 answered Rutters, who had a half-sneaking sort 

 of regard for Capper's cleverness in spite of his 

 bad behaviour to Frank Parker and his persecu- 

 tion of Kitty Lomax. 



" Well, I fancy he's wrong to-day. Ladybird 

 or Earl Marshall seem to have the race between 

 them. What does he go for— Bombshell ? " 



" Yes, that's his choice ; and there's the pony. 

 Now we shall know ? " the barber cried. 



The quick trot of a pony ceased at the door. 



