AN OFF CHANCE. 213 



** Catch her!" replied his companion, who 

 had just laid the other 50 to 20, contemptuously. 

 ''What do ijou think? It would be a start 

 if a mare like that beat Eed Ronald ; and she 

 hasn't such a pull in the weights either." 



" I say ! Just look at Wynnerly ! " Atherton 

 cried. 



As the three runners reached the middle of 

 the descent the rider of Mavis let go his mare's 

 head, and the lead of twelve lengths was nearly 

 doubled. Crossley, on the favourite, glanced at 

 his companion, Osprey. Both were going strong, 

 but as they turned into the straight, some half 

 mile fi'om home, Wynnerly was many lengths to 

 the good, a fact of which he assured himself by 

 turning in his saddle and glancing at the other 

 two. On the three galloped. Crossley again 

 looked at the mare on his right, then at the 

 leader. Osprey was going comfortably, and 

 Herries seemed in no hurry to go on and catch 

 the other, but Mavis was certainly not coming 

 back to them, as Crossley had confidently antici- 

 pated she would, and he saw that there was no 

 time to be lost. One stroke of the whip fell on 

 Eed Eonald's side, he sprang forward, as did 

 Osprey, untouched ; but Mavis still gave no sign 

 of coming back to her horses. The followers 

 gained perceptibly, but all of a sudden a new 



