200 RACECOUESE AND COVERT SIDE. 



driving up in that fly. Do you know Captain 

 Crossley, Tom?" 



Tom made a sort of grimace. 

 '' Don't know much of him, sir, and am not 

 very anxious to improve the acquaintance. Is 

 he going to ride Ked Eonald ? Well, I'm afraid 

 he'll win. I don't see what's to beat him," he 

 continued, looking again at the card. 



" What about Mavis, Tom ? You've got 

 her, haven't you ? They tell me she can go," 

 Atherton inquired. 



'' No ; I haven't got her now. Sir Henry. 

 She's trained on our Downs, but she's in 

 Tinkler's stable. She's useful, and she can 

 stay, though before she came to me — I only had 

 her for two or three months, and she never ran 

 — they thought she could not go more than six 

 furlongs. It's a mistake people often make 

 about their horses, instead of trying them. I 

 found out that she could go over a distance of 

 ground, and we thought of her for the Metro- 

 politan ; but she wasn't well, and Lord Heathfield 

 sold her." 



" Has she got a chance ? " Wynnerly asked. 

 " She belongs to Stuart- C civile, in my regiment, 

 you know," he remarked to Atherton. 



"No, Captain Wynnerly; she can't win with 

 10 st. 12 lb. on her back," Tom replied de- 



