AN OFF CHANCE. 207 



The chance was so good that Fhitterton had 

 laid the odds, 5 to 2 on, and won £20, which 

 was never in doubt. Tom's jacket fluttered in 

 the wind always in a foremost place, and he 

 came away, with his hands at his mare's withers, 

 looking right and left to see whether any of 

 the struggling field, all of which had been ridden 

 hard almost before the distance was reached, 

 were coming to challenge him. In the Handi- 

 cap, his horse, ridden by one of his boys, had 

 looked like winning in a canter, but had 

 suddenly put back his ears and utterly refused to 

 gallop, a circumstance which cost Flutterton 

 half the £20 he had won. 



The next race was for the Southdown Cup, 

 and before the numbers went up the market had 

 set. When presently they were hoisted it was 

 seen that there were only three runners : — No. 3 

 — Lord James Savage's b h Eed Eonald, 11 st. 

 12 lb., white, blue belt, black cap (Captain 

 Crossley) ; No. 7 — Lord Tourneymeade's ch m 

 Osprey, 11 st. 7 lb., red and green hoops (Mr. 

 Herries); No. 15— Mr. Stuart-Colvile's b m 

 Mavis, 10 st. 12 lb., crimson, white cap (Captain 

 Wynnerly). 



" How's this ? I thought Wynnerly was 

 going to ride Osprey. I understood so when he 

 went to dress. What's the meaning of it?" 



