WHO IS TO RIDE HIM ? 307 



Tim looked after his young master as he walked 

 away. " Well," he exclaimed at length, " Master 

 George " — he was always Master George with the 

 old servants — " twelve five ; I'd never have thought 

 it. There's something in his heye, though, that tells 

 me he won't be that weight long. Although he is 

 so cool he'll hunt every day the coming season, I'll 

 bet my life ; walk like blazes, and take physic 

 enough to float a jolly-boat. I'll lay a sov," he 

 remarked, as he slowly drew one out of a bag 

 which he extracted from the depths of his capa- 

 cious breeches-pocket, " that he is in his old form 

 this day six months ; dashed if I don't bet a fiver, 

 or any part of it." But as no one was there to 

 take him, he put back the coin, gave the neck of 

 the bag a twist, and after a struggle managed to 

 convey it to his breeches pocket again. 



" What will my old woman say," he continued, 

 " when I tells her o' this ? she as nussed him as a 

 foal, and said he'd never get fat like me. It's 

 heart-breaking to think on. And there's Guards- 

 man, the finest and fastest hunter in England, just 

 coming six ; how will he be able to carry him if he 

 goes sticking mountains of flesh on like that ? — he 

 can't do it. He'll have to ride in a seven-pound 

 saddle ; but I don't let him do that, not if I knows 

 it — he'd break his precious neck, and then I should 



