THE DOWNS IN WINTER 47 



ently busted-up agricultural machinery qualifying 

 for scrap-iron ; also the church on the edge of 

 the marshes, otherwise brooks, where a tired 

 body can sit in the summer sun and absorb 

 peace from the surroundings, while the children 

 sing in the schools next door, the cattle low on 

 the marshes, and the local birds, with proprietary 

 interest in the church and churchyard, size you up 

 — I trust returning a favourable verdict. 



If you wanted to go to Telscombe from 

 Lewes you would surely be instructed to make 

 for Rodmell, ** where anyone will tell you the 

 way." Perhaps you will find this anyone, 

 perhaps you w^on't, unless you think of making 

 an inquiry office of the inn, and when you are 

 told your way, you are by no means sure to 

 fetch your desired destination. Before this, I 

 have quoted the directions for discovering the 

 place as given by a Lewes trainer: ''You won't 

 get there at all except by accident, and you will 

 know the place by putting your foot into a 

 chimney — that will be Telscombe." I was 

 gossiping about a visit during the Gubbins 

 regime. Well, we saw the bad - mannered 

 colt dispatched to Rodmell for the letter-bag, 

 toddled up on to the gallops towards the sea 

 — the village is in a little cup in the hills — 

 watched the yearlings do some pottering about, 

 wished the trainer a Merry Christmas, and 

 marched off in good order on the way back to 

 Brighton. What do you think came of our 

 friendly call ? Somebody wired to authority to 

 report the presence of four more well-known 

 touts — Self and Co. were the brussels sprouters 

 — and the stable-boy who carried the letters on 

 the troublesome young 'un was charged with 



