202 EACECOURSE AND COVERT SIDE. 



takably bespoke their occupation — the finding 

 of winners, which would be a sufficiently simple 

 operation if horses were machines, always equally 

 fit to work, and to be trusted implicitly to do 

 one day precisely what they did six months 

 before. 



'' Well, let's be off ! " Wynnerly said. " Have 

 another liqueur, Tom. No ! Quite sure ? Hum 

 ■ — I suppose I'd better not ; but I'm going to 

 dine to-night, I can tell you ! We'll give you a 

 seat, if you like, Tom ? Come on, Flutterton. 

 I'm afraid, old chap," he continued, patting the 

 unlucky sportsman on the back, "we can't get 

 you home to-day, and I know what a nuisance 

 it is ! " 



Poor Flutterton put the best face he could 

 upon it as the party drew on their gloves, slung 

 their glasses over their shoulders, and collected 

 the books, cards, and other materials for the 

 day's campaign. If something unexpected did 

 not haj^pen, it meant another visit to a little 

 office he knew too well in the City, the master 

 of which, more than civil if you met him on a 

 racecourse, at the opera, where he had a box, at 

 one or two card clubs, to which he had by some 

 means gained admission — for in these places a 

 gentleman seemed to have a sort of advantage 

 over the rich man who was not a gentleman — 



