Making the Running 263 



' But there's another ; I've backed ' Here Cecil, 



almost carried away by his irapulsiveness, paused, and 

 at the moment Stebbing hove in sight and approached 

 the group. The Captain liked to know very young men 

 with money, especially when they had a mania for 

 racing, and he showed no disinclination to join in the 

 conversation, so that Cecil introduced him in due form. 



' Cecil's telling us a good thing for this race, and it's 

 not Port Admiral or Carnation,' Douglas observed. 

 ' I'm sure it's not Vintager, though Mr. Edwardes thinks 

 it is ; bat dear old Cecil always was an enthusiastic 

 duffer, who went plunging about on some vague rumour 

 and getting done. What's the good thing this time ? ' 



Cecil, a bit nettled at being chaffed, replied a little 

 angrily — ' I've got 250/. on it, and haven't backed it on 

 a vague rumour either ! Do you mind telling them, 

 Stebbing ? ' he added, in a low tone, taking the now 

 frowning Captain a little aside. ' They're good fellows, 

 and I'm sure they won't breathe a word of it to any- 

 body. Chester — he's " Mr. Edwardes " — is just the sort 

 of man to back his own crock, and it would be a pity if 

 he threw away his money. I should like them to know.' 



Stebbing was fairly perplexed. The one thing he 

 knew was that Chimney Corner had not a 100 to 1 

 chance unless Port Admiral and Carnation fell over the 

 rails, or in some way or other came to grief, and to 

 recommend these young strangers to back her, in face of 

 the fact that they would inevitably see her beaten in the 

 course of the next few minutes, would scarcely enable 

 him to present himself afterwards in the character of 

 an infallible guide. But he did not see how he could 

 escape. Cecil had let the cat out of the bag, and silently 

 he cursed his stupidity for doing so. He had told the two 



