188 KACECOURSE AND COVERT SIDE. 



received the condolences of Lucy and the rest 

 on what they were pleased to term " such a very 

 unfortunate accident," and was greeted by my 

 host in my proper character. He had confounded 

 me with Cecil of the 14th, a gentleman-rider of 

 celebrity and a friend of Hugh Welwyn's, whose 

 horse, the Professor, the gallant officer was to 

 have ridden. A telegram had been waiting for 

 Hugh for some time, and it afterwards appeared 

 that it had been sent by Cecil, and contained 

 expressions of his regret at being unable to come 

 down and fulfil his engagement ; but Hugh had 

 not made his expected visit to the Grange, and 

 so had not received it. My letter of accept- 

 ance had led the squire to believe that I was 

 to appear at Welwyn on the 21st, instead of 

 the 20th. 



Miss Welwyn was more than kind, and Lucy, 

 profuse in her regrets at the sad misfortune to 

 the poor horse. She was just making a pretty 

 little speech about my kindness in so readily 

 undertaking to solve the difficulty, when the 

 Cup horses, having started, came in sight ; Dacre, 

 on a little chestnut, which some one described as 

 wiry, having it all his own way. Forester second, 

 on a large bay horse. Packeuham, I afterwards 

 found, had been left in the brook. 



I was not sorry when, the last two races 



