44 A Good Day 



' An excellent luncheon at a coach on the other side 

 of the course formed an agreeable beginnmg to the day ; 

 and well in advance of the time set for the first race I 

 was at our tryst, eager to begin the fascinating game of 

 speculation. The crowd interested me vastly. Almost 

 everybod}^ seemed to be acquainted with everybody else. 

 *' How are you? — know anything ? " was the familiar 

 greeting ; and to all appearance every one did know 

 something, for there was usually an answer which not 

 seldom led to prolonged controvers3\ I found diversion 

 also in the horses which were being led round and round, 

 and occasionally taken off to be saddled, and then, when 

 the jockeys in their colours emerged from the weighing- 

 room, I began to appreciate still more fully the fact that 

 I was really at a race-meeting at last. Whilst I was 

 gazing about, Wennington suddenly appeared, in evident 

 haste. 



' '' Oh, here you are. That's all right. Now, my boy, 

 I don't advise anyone to bet, mind ; I oughtn't to teach 

 you to begin ; but a bit of a flutter won't do you any 

 harm, I hope. Indeed, unless I'm much mistaken, we 

 ought to do you some good to-day. Look here ! they 

 tell me this is really good for the Duke, and you'd better 

 hurry back to the ring and get on, because it will be a 

 hot favourite and the price will soon shorten," he said ; 

 and with a parting nod was off in the midst of the 

 stream that had set in towards the stands. 



' " Good for the Duke." I had the wit to surmise that 

 the Duke was not a horse but a horse's owner, and so 

 looked at my card. There were thirteen horses in the 

 first race : two belonged to the Duke of Westminster, 

 one to the Duke of Beaufort, one to the Duke of 

 Hamilton, and nine to other sportsmen, and as I read 



