2o8 The Life of Fred Archer 
entertains a regard which almost amounts to devotion. It is 
constructed of red brick, faced with white stone and gabled. 
At present it is entirely unsheltered, and a better place could 
scarcely have been selected to realise the force of the hurricane 
which raged on Monday last and swept over the bleak Heath 
and the Bedford Lodge estate, which lies on the opposite side 
of the road. The first thing that struck us on entering the 
gate was the admirable order in which the spacious garden, 
lawn, and gravel walks which surround the house were kept. 
A lawn-tennis net was having a rough time of it in the gale, 
and a well-defined court gave evidence that that popular 
pastime is not altogether despised at the headquarters of the 
Turf. In response to a ring of the bell, a dapper little maid 
ushered us into the breakfast-room, an elegantly-furnished 
apartment, of which more anon, and two minutes later we were 
greeted with a warm welcome by the master of the house, 
and a grasp of the hand which has steered so many cracks to 
victory. 
" Archer had just returned from a morning gallop on 
Highland Chief, a description of which, at the moment of our 
meeting, some scores of horse watchers were, no doubt, busily 
engaged up in the town in wiring to their respective employers 
throughout the kingdom. As all the world knows by this 
time, the quintette who took part therein consisted of the 
Leger favourite, with the ' elder brother ' up, Lizzie, Ithuriel, 
Wallenstein, and Brayley, ridden respectively by White, 
Martin, Goater, and Luke. To use Archer's own words, ' the 
wind nearly turned us round,' and few things affect some 
horses' form more. He seemed evidently pleased, however, 
with the result of the spin. 
" In response to an invitation to ' have a look at the pic- 
tures,' we repaired first to the dining-room, which is perhaps 
the most interesting feature in the house to a Turfite ; it is 
the first room on the left as you enter, and is capable of dining 
twelve or fourteen persons comfortably ; it is handsomely 
