342 An Over-reach 



again ? " I says, as we went to the post. " I'm going to 

 try," says he. " Well, don't you try too hard," I says, 

 *' because you might hurt yourself," ' and he looked at 

 his friends for applause at so shrewd a witticism. ' Tom 

 Tubb did laugh,' he continued ; ' " Shall I put him over 

 the rails for you?" he says, quiet, when Montague had 

 gone on to speak to Mr. Coventry. ''I'll do it with 

 pleasure," he says, "if he's in the way"; but I 

 says ' 



' What's that ? Ohjectiou ? What for, I'd like to 

 know ? Because I won too far, I suppose. Objection, 

 indeed ! That's good ! ' 



Tomkins and Payne had almost reached the weighing- 

 room door, when someone emerged from it uttering this 

 totally unexpected cry, and the crowd round about 

 immediately began to ask each other what it could mean, 

 and what was wrong. From start to finish the winner 

 had been out by himself ; certainly there was no bump- 

 ing. Weight ? Payne and Tomkins were not in the 

 least likely to make a mistake ; unless they did it on 

 purpose, and that seemed in the highest degree impro- 

 bable in the present case. What could it be ? 



Tomkins and Payne entered the room just a trifle 

 disturbed, but confident that there could be nothing 

 really WTong. 



' Who's objecting, and what for ? ' Tomkins asked. 



* Wrong age, Mr. Tomkins,' they say. ' Hamlet is 

 said to be a five-year-old,' a courteous official said. 



' What rot ! ' Tomkins replied, with much wrath and 

 indignation. ' Who says it ? ' But he began to quake, for 

 assertions so easy of proof are not often made without 

 good reason. 



