34 



Phyllis and Ophella 



' I should say not, if it's the one I mean. If you can 

 lay 50L against her, I'll go halves in the bet ; that'll show 

 you what I think,* Sharpe replied. ' There's nothing at 

 Dossie's just now likely to interfere with us.' 



' I'm uncommonly glad to hear you say so — uncom- 

 monly glad, I can tell you. It put me into an awful 

 funk, for the mare looks so well, and she has won races, 

 you know. But if you know her, that's all right. I can 

 lay 60/. to 40?. against her, no doubt, and that's how 

 they bet now she's getting a warm favourite,' the Major 

 replied. 



Sharpe was strongly inclined to laugh, but suppressed 

 the inclination. Everything seemed ready to his hand. 

 The true Tommy Tiddler's ground was evidently a race- 

 course where affairs were going right. 



' There she is ! That's the one ! ' the Major sud- 

 denly exclaimed, pointing across the paddock to the 

 familiar figure of the bay mare. ' That's it, is it ? I'm 

 awfully glad. Ah ! There's ours,' he added, as a big 

 chesnut, which might have been called a bit clumsy by 

 enemies, was led up. ' I'll go and get into my things.' 



Congreve retired, and Sharpe went to superintend 

 the saddling of the horse. While engaged in that opera- 

 tion, Osborne, in a pink and white hooped jacket, walked 

 past him, but he had never seen Sharpe, or at least did 

 not know him. Congreve, in a purple jacket and white 

 cap, was not long in appearing. Dobbin was now second 

 favourite, for when stripped the animal that had been 

 most fancied after Phyllis was found to be very big and 

 a trifle lame, while the rest of the field were for the most 

 part a rather sorry lot — none, at least, looking dangerous ; 

 besides, Congreve could ride a little — well enough to do 

 all that was necessary on such a comfortable horse as 



