278 EACECOURSE AND COVERT SIDE. 



the ring. " Qui veut un cheval ? " " Qui veut 

 Baretta ? " " Deux centre Baretta ? " " Qui 

 veut Figurine ? " '' Gagnant ou place ! " 

 " Cinq centre Figurine ! " is heard in different 

 voices, an occasional appeal to "Messieurs" to 

 come and take the odds, giving a specially 

 French flavour to the discourse. Fancy an 

 English bookmaker saying, " Five to four 

 against Tristan, gentlemen," " Gentlemen, who 

 will back Goldfield ? " Middle-class French 

 people can be polite when they want anything, 

 at least the men can. I do not think any 

 consideration could make a middle-class French- 

 woman behave decently unless she had some- 

 thing to gain by it. The upper and lower 

 classes in France are courteous and what we 

 call well-bred ; the middle-class hardly ever. 



Meantime the word has been given to a 

 company of red-legged soldiers, who form and 

 march in opposite directions, to clear the course 

 — a very simple duty, for the necessity has 

 already been intimated to the public by a device 

 of M. le Maire, or of some former maire^ whose 

 example M. le Vert copies. A tricolour flag has 

 been run up the mast near the Tribune du Jury, 

 and good citizens, who know what is expected 

 of them, have read that when this sign is given 

 la piste doit etre evacuee. Here come the 



