Phyllis and Ophelia 21 



acquaintance when taken home. ' He was a sweet little 

 horse, was Oddity, and I told the Colonel he would do 

 us credit. Will you step this way, please, sir ? Here's 

 a little grey I should like you to look over,' and Thomas, 

 coming forward at this moment, opened the door of one 

 of the stables by which the yard was bounded on three 

 sides. 



The grey was stripped. Osborne looked him over 

 carefully, and Dossie followed his glances keenly to 

 note on what they rested. Osborne's eyes lingered on 

 hocks that told a tale not to be mistaken by a practical 

 horseman, and Dossie saw that he had something of a 

 judge to deal with. 



' Is he sound ? ' Osborne asked. 



' Well, sir, I can only say that he's been doing well 

 enough since I've had him, but I believe the man I 

 bought him from had a bit of trouble with him,' Dossie 

 answered, seeing that a little candour would make a good 

 foundation for future assertions. * I never sell a gentle- 

 man a horse without saying what I know and what I 

 think. Now, there's a fine upstanding horse, sir. King 

 Cole we call him, won a couple of steeplechases in the 

 spring,' he continued, as Thomas turned back the 

 clothing. 



' No. I don't care much for King Cole,' Osborne 

 remarked, for the horse's legs all round showed traces of 

 a hard life. ' I want a horse that I can hunt when he 

 has won a race or two, perhaps, and I should ask you to 

 keep him here, in the first place, and prepare him for 

 his engagement.' 



That altered the case considerably. There was more 

 to be made out of Osborne than the casual profit of a 

 deal, and, as a matter of fact, Dossie had the animal 



