DISAPPOINTMENTS 



because of what the papers said, for really I seldom 

 read anything in the racing part except the descrip- 

 tions of the previous day's running and the weights 

 for future events. There was no special question 

 therefore of my liking praise or criticism. All the 

 same it w^as natural that I should feel keen on keeping 

 the hold on the public that I had gained and on one 

 occasion, just after riding those five winners at New- 

 market, I was due to appear at Alexandra Park. A 

 heavy cold kept me away. I resented very much that 

 I wasn't able to see that Saturday afternoon crowd. 

 There was some trouble as a result of this which took 

 some putting right. I had asked Charlie Mills to 

 make my excuses to the Clerk of the Scales and to 

 explain that only ill-health kept me away. He forgot all 

 about it. Anyhow they were very angry with me for 

 not fulfilling my engagements, and it made bad feeling. 



Another disappointment I had about that time was 

 when I was just beaten in the Duke of York Stakes 

 on Mount Prospect. A dead outsider, Sirenia, a real 

 nice mare, pipped me a head. It wasn't altogether a 

 question of what had been won and lost, but at popular 

 meetings, and especially on Saturday afternoons, I 

 never tired of hearing the music of the boys calling 

 after me when I had any real success. 



With regard to amusement. In those autumn 

 days of 1898 there were the usual odds and ends 

 of London life — the theatres, music halls, games of 

 bridge, supper-parties — I only looked on at supper — 

 and there was the usual experience of meeting more 

 people than I wanted. Please, please, do not think 

 that I had such conceit that I used to put aside or be 

 casual to those I was introduced to, but — ^well, I didn't 

 always properly reckon up who they were. I know 

 that I may have been off-handed and I may in conse- 



109 



