The Life of Fied Archer 251 
for you, my darling. It was an excitement one expects to 
have only once in a lifetime. 
" I could not sleep last night. It all went round and round 
in my head, but, oh, if you could have seen it ! Melton looked 
simply beautiful in the preliminary canter, arched his neck, 
and went straight up the course with his bit as if he were a 
hack cantering up Rotten Row. 
" Just at the top of the hill before Tattenham Corner he 
was last but three, and I could hardly breathe till I saw the 
beloved colours creeping up on our side of the course, and then 
the race began. Paradox was half a length ahead when they 
passed the Jockey Club Stand, but he was gaining inch by 
inch. One almost went mad, but here one is to tell the tale. 
" What a glorious day, ever to be remembered, and what 
luck our seeing it, before we are off." 
The second telegram to Lady Hastings was sent by her 
husband, who wired : 
" Melton won a head, Paradox second. Royal Hampton 
third. Had rather exciting moment. — Hastings, Grand Stand, 
Epsom." 
One can imagine that Lord Hastings did have a " rather 
exciting moment," for, apart from the honour, a good deal of 
money was at stake. 
There were dozens of other letters and telegrams from 
friends, all of which Lady Hastings had pasted up in her 
" Melton Scrap-book." 
The day following the race Lady Hastings sent the following 
letter to Archer : — 
" Archer, 
"I must write and tell you how perfectly delighted I 
was when I heard our pet horse Melton had won the Derby 
with you on his back, and from all I hear his victory was greatly 
owing to the splendid way in which you guided him in the 
