20 Phyllis and Ophelia 



buy a horse directly ; a young fellow who's staying at 

 the Manor House, and wants something good enough to 

 win a little race with. Soldier, I judge he is. How did 

 King Cole go this morning ? ' Dossie continued ; for 

 Thomas had superintended the exercise on the neigh- 

 bouring downs, as he usually did, unless there chanced 

 to be anything special in the wind. 



* Went very short. He won't get through this bout, 

 I guess,' Thomas answered, ' and that chesnut mare 

 makes a worse noise every day. I don't know what's to 

 be done with her. Hulloa ! here's somebody ! I suppose 

 that's the one you expect ? ' and Thomas disappeared 

 into the saddle-room, leaving the proprietor of the 

 establishment to receive his visitor, a quiet soldier-like 

 man of thirty, who had ridden up to the gates of the 

 yard, and thrown his reins to a lad who came forward 

 to take the horse. 



* Mr. Osborne ? ' Dossie said, interrogatively. * Glad 

 to see you, sir.' 



'Yes, I am Mr. Osborne. You got my letter, of 

 course ? It just occurred to me that you might have 

 something in your stable that would suit me — something 

 just about good enough to have a chance of winning a 

 little race at Aldersham next month. Colonel Lockhart, 

 a friend of mine, who bought Oddity from you some time 

 ago, recommended me to look through your stable, and 

 as I am staying a few miles off, I thought I would ride 

 over and see what you had.' 



* Glad to see you, sir,' Dossie repeated, much relieved 

 to hear that one of his customers had been pleased with 

 his purchase, which probably was not much of a rule 

 when he sold a horse, his business lying to a great 

 extent among those animals that did not improve upon 



