Too Clever 187 



Moss,' he responded. ' If you don't mind accepting my 

 humble hospitaUty, I shall be happy to do all I can to 

 make you comfortable. Any day next week that will 

 suit you and Mr. Dane will suit me, and I shall hope to 

 hear that you are coming.' 



CHAPTEE II 



The day had been duly fixed, and Moss and Dane had 

 found their way to the old trainer's place, where they 

 had been regaled with an excellent dinner, consisting of 

 trout caught that afternoon in the stream that ran near 

 the house, a saddle of four -year-old mutton that had 

 passed an appetising life on the neighbouring downs, and 

 some plump young partridges. Nor was the wine 

 unworthy of the fare, for though Weekes was not one of 

 the modern school of trainers, who consider it necessary 

 to present the outward appearance of men of fashion, 

 and suppose that they are greatly condescending when 

 they accept employment, he was modern enough to 

 understand the possibly fastidious palates of his visitors. 

 Smeuse had arrived in the same train as her owner, 

 and at five o'clock stables they had seen her comfortably 

 ensconced in her box, next to The Caliph, a handsome 

 chesnut colt that had run second for the Criterion the 

 year before, but had only won one small race in poor 

 company as a three-year-old, though he had run fairly 

 well in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Ascot. 



' A nice-looking one that ! ' Moss had remarked, as 

 they came to hira. * Is he in the gallop to-morrow ? I 

 remember how he came up the hill last year in the 

 Criterion — I thought he was going to upset the good 

 thing ! ' 



