AROUND HAMPTON COURT 127 



All of this business was very wonderful and 

 clever when you valued it on its merits, not the 

 least wonderful and admirable being the life and 

 go these hardworking folk — I dare swear that 

 they were jolly hard workers — must have in them 

 to feel like kicking up ahind and afore and doing 

 shuffles and rocks and all manner at ten a.m., 

 and to the melodious breathing of the mouth- 

 organ as aforesaid. I stood to scoff" or something 

 like it, and remained to envy very much indeed, 

 so that the spirit was willing to make straightway 

 to the green at Hampton Court over the way — I 

 mean over the bridge — and join in the sports 

 there in progress. The flesh, unfortunately, was 

 weak, so I perforce contented myself with joining 

 as a spectator only of the wonderful energy dis- 

 played. If looking on will enable you to do a 

 thing such as skipping, I ought soon to be an 

 expert, for I looked on till I started almost too 

 late to get to Kempton in time for the first race, 

 and got along feeling a bit small, because, running 

 myself a trial on book form against the crowd so 

 many generally rather pity than envy, I found 

 that they could do, and do very well, too, a whole 

 row of things which I cannot. But I will qualify, 

 though, if I die on the thrack, as a bogus 

 champion walker used to say when endeavouring 

 to beat Charley Rowell at Madison Square 

 Gardens, New York. What was the chap's 

 name.'^ Something like Campagna it was, and 

 his way of putting things was, ''give me more 

 champagne " (fine stuff to do a six days' walk 

 on!) "and I'll bate him if I die on the thrack! " 

 But champagne or no champagne, please under- 

 stand that I do not dream of soaring to the 

 heights of the mouth-organ by itself or taken in 



