256 Making the Running 



A man who goes racing frequently makes very odd 

 acquaintances in a very informal way, and Cecil probably 

 could not have said how he first picked up — or was 

 picked up by — Captain Stebbing. The Captain, however, 

 had certainly acquired an influence over the enthusiaslic 

 young race-goer. Cecil had come to town knowing 

 nobody in the racing world except his uncle, who, though 

 he kept horses, was not a regular attendant at meetings, 

 and could not be described as a regular follower of the 

 great game. But Stebbing, who had a plater or two in 

 training, knew, if not everyone, at least a great many 

 people. He was apparently on intimate terms with 

 half the men in the paddock ; for if Cecil did not actually 

 see him speaking to them, Stebbing was able to tell him 

 what they thought and said and did. Stebbing had taken 

 him to see a trial on the downs where he trained, had 

 shown him the interior of weighing-rooms and other haunts 

 which delighted a youth eager to get behind the scenes, 

 and had on several occasions told him of * good things.' 

 It is true that these good things had not by any means 

 always come off, and twice or thrice when he had stood 

 with the Captain on his horses — once he had 300L on — 

 they had been beaten by a most unfortunate accident, 

 the nature of which the disappointed owner explained — 

 there never was such a cruel piece of bad luck. Stebbing 

 was not a gentleman, Cecil felt, though he dressed well, 

 drove a good-looking pair of horses, and talked decently ; 

 and one day, just after he had been telling Cecil a great 

 deal about the feelings and opinions of a prominent 

 owner, the very man who was being discussed passed 

 close to them, and certainly did not return Stebbing' s 

 half- familiar, half-hesitating nod of the head ; but then, 

 people are often preoccupied on racecourses, and cannot 



