332 An Over-reach 



Tomkins can give me a lot of weight, though I did 

 beat him, didn't I ? and after a deuce of a set-to in the 

 bargain ! ' he grimaced with deHght. ' I suppose he left 

 it too long ; thought he'd catch me easier than he did. I 

 don't think I'm quite as bad as I was, you know, old 

 chap. You must learn a lot in the course of time, and 

 I've ridden close on thirty races without winning ! ' 



' Oh, yes, you're coming on — by degrees. But am I 

 to go to a monkey ? ' Addington asked, and the beaming 

 jockey, as he prepared to enter the scales, begged him to 

 do so, and a little over if necessary. 



' Tomkins took things too easy for once ; those clever 

 fellows are too clever at times,' young Crichton observed 

 to his friend Cecil, one of the stewards of the meeting, 

 as they strolled towards the paddock ; and Cecil, with 

 some hesitation, replied musingly, ' Yes, I suppose so.' 



Also approaching the ring now being formed round 

 the auctioneer were Tomkins, the unsuccessful jockey, 

 and Payne, the owner of Hamlet. Their faces were 

 alike imperturbable, and their voices low, but there was 

 an accent of satisfaction in Payne's subdued tones. 



* You never rode a better race than that. Jack, in all 

 your life,' he muttered. ' Couldn't have been more 

 neatly done ! ' 



' I don't know ; I wasn't happy till the number went 

 up, I can tell you. I thought the silly young fool must 

 have gone a bit faster at the end, and I almost came too 

 soon. I calculated on letting him win a good neck. 

 Did an^^one say anything ? ' Tomkins inquired. 



' No, not anyone to take notice of. Larkin said, " I 

 suppose that just suited you ! " but I didn't answer. 

 Craik and his friend were doing the job for us, and I 

 suppose we shall get a fairish bit more for second. 



