NEWMARKET 175 



homestead and stockyard, with a peacock on the 

 wall, pigs and piglings, draught-horses and kine, 

 a gobbling turkey-cock, and a gamecock crowing 

 to his ladies, and in defiance of the other fellow 

 over the way ; ducks waddling in procession, 

 martins working from under the eaves, a shepherd 

 and his dog coming about their business, hinds 

 and, of course, a milkmaid, going about theirs ; 

 all the stock sleek and well-fed ; the old hunter 

 poking his nose out over his box's half-door, the 

 granary cat sunning herself on the wall, the rooks 

 building in the high elm, a thrush conversing on 

 the highest perch obtainable, and the pigeons 

 slithering over the moss-grown tile roof. That 

 is the sort of toy I should best like, marked with 

 prosperity stamped on each article ; but perhaps 

 I could make this dead-heat with the well-ordered 

 training establishment when things go well. 



Mind, I am only talking of toys ; I might 

 talk of such possessions literally and seriously, 

 and have as much chance of getting one as the 

 other, except as an unendowed spectator, in which 

 capacity paying my visit to Moifaa placed me, an 

 unrecognised proprietor pro tem., without any 

 liability as to the up-keep or responsibility other 

 than coming and departing in peace. Still, if you 

 can, be friends with plenty of people too rich and 

 grand for you to live in the same house with. I 

 mention, among many, a couple of settled-down 

 old married gentlemen, well-to-do, very well to do 

 — indeed, too swagger in their style of living for 

 the likes of me to keep up with, but still careful 

 of their precious healths to the extent of taking a 

 strong constitutional every morning, and for all 

 I know, of an afternoon too. Often I set out in 

 their direction, Cheveley, on purpose to have the 



