1/6 A Good Thing 



self — if Hawke had come only two seconds sooner, he 

 could not have lost, and so on. Upton says little, but 

 in the few remarks he makes his language is strong. 



As Hawke was driving away from the course with a 

 friend, in one of the local shandrydans, the look of 

 sulkiness had entirely disappeared from his face. He 

 was, in fact, grinning as if an excellent joke had just 

 struck him — as, indeed, from his point of view one had. 



' That was a game, wasn't it ? ' he cried, slapping 

 his companion on the knee. 



' I should like one of 'em once a fortnight reg'lar till 

 further notice ! ' was the reply. 



' What precious flats them soldier sharps are ! ' 

 Hawke continues. ' " Yes," they says, " don't you breathe 

 a word to a living soul about your going to ride. They 

 don't know nothing about this mare, and they'll lay odds 

 on the other, especially as Captain York can ride a bit, 

 and the man they think's going to ride this one can't. But 

 there's nothing about owners riding in the agreement," 

 they says, " and when your name's hoisted there'll be 

 some fun ! They'll be laying more than a shade of odds 

 on you by that time, I expect, so you keep dark, and 

 you're on fifty to nothing if you pull it off, and it's a 

 cert." Oh, thinks I, I can do a bit better than that for 

 myself if that's the game ! You can never make quite 

 certain of winnin' a race, but you can generally make 

 pretty sure of losin' one. What did you do '? ' 



' Why,' replied the other, ' I got on 160/. down there, 

 100 to 30 twice, and the rest ac 3's and 5 to 2, and I 

 wired up to have 200/. on at starting price. You jolly well 

 give me the jumps, though, all the same, at the finish.' 



' Yes, it was a hardish job, too, to do quite comfort- 



