A POSTPONED SHOOT 



to live with Mr Pincus, had been kind to me, and he 

 had niade up a shooting-party for the foUowing day, 

 Saturday. I was very anxious to have a go for the 

 first time in my hfe at the pheasants. Well, just after 

 bandia had won, Lord William came to me and said, 

 I want you to ride two for me at Hurst Park to- 

 morrow." 



" Impossible," I repHed in my " fresh " way. " I'm 

 gomg to a shooting-party." 



" Never mind your shooting ! " 



" I can't put it off. Mr Martin has got it up speci- 

 ally m my honour," I said— and I meant it. 



Lord Wilham put his hand on my shoulder and said 

 quietly, Now, little man, you have to come to Hurst 

 Park ; Fll see Martin." 



I was going to stick to my guns, but Lord William 

 had a sort of way with him, and in the end I went to 

 Hurst Park, and I think I actually won both races. 

 One race I won readily enough, and the other they 

 didn t give to me, saying that I had lost a short head ! 

 Mistakes will happen. 



Now that was a pretty good week's work. Mv 

 reputation in England had begun. For my own 

 pleasure I may as well add that although Lord William 

 often chaffed me about that party with Martin which 

 didn t come off, yet he made it up to me by letting me 

 shoot with him and his own party at Deepdene, 



51 



