A Good Thing 159 



ton race she " hadn't been having much of a go." If they 

 are not havmg " much of a go," I suppose they are not 

 having a go at all, but that's the way Woodwell put it. 

 However, at Kempton, after Barnes had bought her, 

 Dewdrop was backed, as we all know, and again she ran 

 nowhere. York is surely a good 7 lb. and a bit more better 

 than Barnes — he wouldn't mind my saying so if he were 

 here ; we all know that he is a very indifferent performer 

 — so that it seems to me to come out a bit on the wrong 

 side, if anything.' 



* Yes, by Jove. I don't see anything in it, put that 

 way ! ' came from Leigh. ' Do you see it, Darsham ? ' 



' I don't want to see it if Upton does ; that's good 

 enough for me. If he says it's good, I shall back it. 

 That hurdle-race at Sandown did not look good for Sea 

 Swallow when Upton was managing the Stockdale horses ; 

 but it came off.' 



' Yes, by Jove, it looked 100 to 1 against that, didn't 

 it ? But it came off all right. I only got fives, and 

 everyone else got tens, and lOO's to 8 ; but it won, didn't 

 it ? ' Leigh prattled on. It is odd that very many people 

 have a habit of asking questions to which there can be 

 only one possible answer. * Going across ? ' was the 

 query put by a man, in one of Mr. Du Maurier's pictures, 

 to an acquaintance whom he met on the boat midway 

 between Dover and Calais. There could not be any sort 

 of doubt as to the destination of the two ; neither was 

 going to get out and walk somewhere else ; but such 

 questions are common. ' Fine day, isn't it ? ' is a most 

 familiar interrogation when the sun is glowing in the 

 cloudless heavens, and a gentle breeze tempers the heat. 

 The victory of Sea Swallow had been recorded for the 

 last year and more in the * Calendar,' and there could 



