And here behold Captain Slingsby lounging upon two
chairs and very busily casting up his betting book, while the Marquis,
by the aid of a small, cracked mirror, that chanced to hang against
the wall, was frowning at his reflection and pulling at the folds of
a most elaborate cravat with petulant fingers.
"Ah, Beverley--here's the dooce of a go!" he exclaimed, "that fool
of a fellow of mine has actually sent me out to ride in a 'Trone
d'Amour' cravat, and I've only just discovered it! The rascal knows
I always take the field in an 'Osbaldistone' or 'Waterfall.' Now how
the dooce can I be expected to ride in a thing like this! Most
distressing, by Jove it is!"
"Eight thousand guineas!" said the Captain, yawning. "Steepish, b'gad,
steepish! Eight thousand at ten to one--hum! Now, if Fortune should
happen to smile on me to-day--by mistake, of course--still, if she
does, I shall clear enough to win free of Gaunt's claws for good and
all, b'gad!"
"Then I shall be devilish sorry to have to beat you, Sling, my boy!"
drawled the Marquis, "yes, doocid sorry,--still--"
"Eh--what? Beat the 'Rascal,' Jerny? Not on your weedy 'Clinker,'
b'gad--"
"Oh, but dooce take me, Sling, you'd never say the 'Rascal' was the
better horse? Why, in the first place, there's too much daylight
under him for your weight--besides--"
"But, my dear Jerny, you must admit that your 'Clinker' 's inclined
to be just--a le-e-etle cow-hocked, come now, b'gad?"
"And then--as I've often remarked, my dear Sling, the 'Rascal' is
too long in the pasterns, not to mention--"
"B'gad! give me a horse with good bellows,--round, d' ye see, well
ribbed home--"
"My dear Sling, if you could manage to get your 'Rascal' four new
legs, deeper shoulders, and, say, fuller haunches, he might possibly
stand a chance.
Pages:
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580