better, for I know him to be a high spirited dog, who is not much enamoured of humility, and I respect him the more; for it affords, in my view, an additional proof that he takes his stand solely upon the honourable character of his intentions. Come, let me arrange it. Don't give me an answer now. Sleep upon it. Turn it well over in your mind: weigh every circumstance deliberately and calmly, and then let me know your decision."

This the Captain most willingly promised to do. He was even then prepared to decide, but the General would not receive his answer: he insisted upon the propriety of a little more reflection, although he by no means conceived it to be absolutely necessary, and soon after left, in the perfect conviction that the object proposed had been attained.

CHAPTER XIX.

Stanley and Bob purchase some experience at Epsom.

Ir were, perhaps, very vain, if not very presumptuous, to speculate deeply upon the subject without data; but, if any purely patriotic member of the Commons were to move for a return of all the money lost and won on the Derby, such return would be a document of extraordinary interest, and one which, in the nature of things, would go far towards stunning the world. With the aid of a few highly accomplished calculating boys in full practice, the thing might be easily got at; for they would only have two distinct classes to separate - the winners, and the losers, to get on as fast as could well be expected; while they would clearly derive very material assistance from a knowledge of the fact that twenty sporting-characters may bet to the amount of twenty millions, without one of them winning or losing a pound.

But, apart from the high consideration having reference to the actual discovery of the amount, it seems abundantly clear that, although in a nominal sense they who are deep in the science of betting-for a science it has indisputably become,have it hollow; the greatest amount of money is actually won from the brilliant superficial professors; it being a striking truth, and one which no sort of sophistry can smother, that in betting-although it is not so in music,—an imperfect sharp makes the most perfect flat.

When the mind is brought to bear with due weight upon the varied ramifications of this interesting science, it will be found to be one of so much excellence, per se, that, although it may be even now pretty well taught at our Universities, it will appear to be rather strange in the abstract that prizes should not have been established as well for that as for Greek and mathematics. This might, perhaps, in consequence of its immediate proximity to Newmarket, obtain in the first instance at Cambridge; for, albeit, every Cambridge man now may be said to possess a fair knowledge of the elements of the science, that knowledge is clearly insufficient to induce a correct appreciation of its beauties, or to guide a sporting character out of that attractive labyrinth, into which ardent tyros are too prone to rush. How admirable is it to see a strictly scientific sporting character making up his book! As a grocer conducts a transaction of barter, as a high-toned attorney standing boldly upon the legitimate integrity of his principles, makes out an untaxable bill of costs, to cover with comfort the sums received, so he

weighs every item again and again with a perfectly uninterceptible view to its bearing upon the general balance. Nor is it necessary for him to be a judge of horse-flesh. By no means. He sports his money safely to the extent of tens of thousands without seeing one of the horses that are entered: he bets upon credit, the credit of those who bet before him the exercise of his own individual judgment is altogether supererogatory: he gives and takes the odds in the dark; but, oh! what a highly-enlightened darkness is his! And in this, perhaps, consists the chief beauty of the science. If a horse be the favourite at Tattersall's, he is, in consequence, the favourite all over the world, if even he should have but three legs. His pedigree is nothing: his name is up. He is the favourite! That is held to be sufficient by regular sporting characters, from the highest to the lowest; from those who take six to four in thousands, to those who take three to two in fourpenny pieces.

Now Stanley's knowledge of this science was extremely superficial. He had, indeed, been enlightened by Sir William to a certain extent: he had had his eyes sufficiently opened to see his way with perfect distinctness into a hole, but by no means sufficiently opened to see his way out again; which, when an individual is to be fleeced, is a far more ingenious mode of procedure than that of making him believe that he is quite in the dark; because, in that case, he feels his way so carefully that the odds are decidedly against your being able to get him in at all whereas, one who has been half enlightened on the subject, believes that he knows all about it; and enters into the thing with all the confidence in Nature. This was precisely the case with Stanley. He had before no conception that so much money was to be won with so much ease, and, therefore, bet to the extent of some thousands, and would have bet more, but Sir William, who was far too ingenious to frighten him, in limine, not only closed his book, but resolved, for the look of the thing, to induce him to hedge down at Epsom with one of those purely sporting men who are always to be found in the ring, in order that what he might actually lose he might nominally cover.

Well, all the preliminaries having been arranged after the most approved fashion, Stanley, Amelia, and Sir William, on the morning of the great Derby day, proceeded to the residence of the widow, who had prepared a sumptuous breakfast, and sundry hampers containing champagne, sherry, chickens, tongues, pigeon-pies, cakes, and a variety of other little articles, designed for demolition on the course. They were all in high spirits. Their pleasure, perhaps, sprang from various sources: but they were all, nevertheless, on most exalted terms, as well with each other as with themselves; and, as Sir William had suggested the expediency of starting early, at nine o'clock precisely the carriage was announced, and looked-when the party had taken their seats, and the servants, in flaming liveries, were on the box, and the postboys were mounted, duly embellished with satin jackets of the brightest celestial blue,—rather distingué than not.

It was a hazy morning, and the atmosphere was like a hot-bath ; but even in those which are usually the most quiet streets, the carriages were rattling up to the doors, and the servants were bringing out the hampers, and all seemed to be in one universal bustle. It is not, however, until they reach the point at which the carriages from all parts of the metropolis meet, that the unsophisticated are able to form

a correct conception of the varied characteristics of the equipages that are to accompany them down the road. Here Stanley and the widow, neither of whom had been down before, were amazed. There was nothing in the shape of a vehicle which had not had its wheels greased expressly for the occasion; nothing in the similitude of a horse, at all likely to do the six-and-thirty miles in twenty hours without giving up the ghost, which had not received an extra severe curry-combing, together with an additional feed of corn, with the view of imparting respectability and spirit to his appearance on that auspicious day. Such, then, being the generally joyful state of things, of course plenty of amusement was to be found; and, as Stanley and Sir William made highly characteristic observations upon every vehicle, and every creature in every vehicle, of a remarkable character, they were all very merry, and laughed very heartily, and seemed to be the happiest of the happy.

"Now," said Sir William, as they entered the lane which leads from the town of Epsom to the Downs, "you may all go to sleep for half an hour, for this is the most tedious part of the journey."

They were not, however, disposed to go to sleep, although the line moved but slowly along; for as it did move at a pace, the consolation was conspicuous, and, on arriving at the top, the brilliant appearance of the Downs well repaid them for whatever tedium they might have experienced.

"Oh, what a lovely scene!" exclaimed the widow, directing Amelia's attention towards the hill. "Well, really now this is enchanting! Sir William, have we to go to that beautiful spot? "As you please," replied the Baronet; "but I think that we had better get near the grand stand, where the horses will pass quite close

to us.'

"That will be delightful! Oh! will it not, my love?"

Amelia assented, and directions were given to get as near the grand stand as possible, on a line with the course. On entering the enclosure, they were all highly pleased with the scene which burst upon them; but the widow -oh! she was in ecstacies! She had never, she was sure she had never in the whole course of her life beheld anything so heavenly!-everything did look so gay, so delightful, so glorious! And then the grand stand! Well, really she never did!-oh! nothing could surpass it!

No sooner had they taken their station than Bob duly appeared with the horses, which, when Stanley and Sir William, at the earnest solicitation of the widow, had taken some refreshment, they mounted, and rode to the wood.

Stanley was a very fair judge of a horse, and when all that were to start were brought out, one of the outsiders appeared to him to have been betted against rather too heavily. He therefore re-examined his book, and the result of that re-examination was, that he did not much like his position. Nor did Bob much like his ; for, by virtue of making cross-bets, with the view of hedging, he had got into an extraordinary arithmetical maze, having made divers gross and disgraceful mistakes, by recording in his favour a variety of bets, which were in reality against him. He was therefore highly pleased when Stanley returned, which he did as soon as possible, in order to back his own judgment; and having entered the ring, he almost immediately got into conversation with Major Foxe, who pompously pronounced himself open to

take the three first horses against the field for an even thousand. This was precisely what Stanley wanted, and he took the bet at once, and they formally exchanged cards, and then made several other bets, which brought Stanley home pretty safely, very much to the delight of Sir William, whom he consulted, and with whom, on the strength of the Major's bets, he increased his liabilities, and having closed his book, invited the Major to join them.

While Stanley was in the ring, thus bringing himself nominally round, Bob, with unparalleled zeal and intensity of feeling, was studying the prevailing characteristics of his position, as strikingly manifested by his book, and found eventually the evidence it imparted to be of a nature so particularly conflicting, that he all at once became so enlightened, that he perceived with amazing distinctness that he couldn't understand it at all. He tried hard, nay he tried with desperation, to comprehend the bearings of his hieroglyphical conceptions; but the more desperately he tried, the more profoundly he studied, the more acutely and cunningly he reckoned, the more chaotic his intellectual faculties became, which was to his extremely sensitive feelings indeed truly terrible. At length he confidentially intimated to the widow's coachman, who was at that exciting period upon the box, that he was ardently anxious to have the benefit of his advice upon a subject of no inconsiderable importance; and the coachman, who had acquired the reputation of being rather a far-seeing individual, accordingly descended to consult him.

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Coachman," said he, with due solemnity of aspect, "did you see that brindle in the course there just now, which cocked his blessed tail mysterious atween his legs, and cut away back'ards and forrards, acause he couldn't tell at all how to get out?

"In course," replied the coachman, "I did."

There's

Well, then, I'm just in that identical speeches of mess. lots of ways to get out; but I know no more how than that brindle, which makes it just as bad as if there wasn't."

"Werry good; but if you 'll just convert that into reg'lar English, I shall be able to understand it, prehaps."

"Why, don't you see!" exclaimed Bob, disgusted with the extreme dulness of the fellow's perception. "Don't I tell you I'm in a blessed mess here, and want you to show me how to see my way out on it!-Do you know anything at all about betting?"

Why, it strikes me I do, as well as here and there one."

"Then cast your invincibles over this book." Here Bob pointed out his hieroglyphics. "Them means brandy-and-water,—them rum-andwater, them fourpenn'orths,-them ale,-and them there, where two ha'pences is, means of course half-and-half. Now, just look deliberate over that, and then tell me exact how I stand. There's a trump!"

The coachman took the book, and studied the state of things intently, while Bob with much earnestness watched his emotions. At length, with great gravity, he spoke to this effect:

"I say, though, my buffer, wort have you bin at! You're the boy to make money by bettin'!"

"What's the matter?" cried Bob, who felt really alarmed. "Wort's the matter! Look here! You've just managed it dexterous so, that if that 'ere oss don't win, you lose pretty nigh all the lot; and if even he does win, you don't win a screw.'

"Why, how do you make that out?" demanded Bob, indignantly.

"How do I make it hout! Why, look here- look at them there brandies-an'-water-why, they're hevery indiwidual one on 'em agin

you!"

"How do you mean? times over?"

Haven't I taken seven to two, four or five

"I know you have; but haven't you hedged off there by giving four to one on the same oss, four or five times over? Don't you see! As far as the fourpenn'orths goes, it don't matter which wins: it's like giving two fardens for a ha'penny; but you're in for the brandy-and-water, and you 're in for the ale, and you 're in for the whole mob of arf-andarf."

Bob stood for a moment as if petrified. The spirit of incredulity took possession of him at first, and caused him to have a most profound contempt for his friend's calculating faculty, albeit he did strongly feel that there was a horrible hitch somewhere; but when it had been pointed out to him distinctly how the various gross mistakes had been made, he perspired with great freedom, and looked dreadfully cut up. "Well," said he, scratching his head with unexampled perseverance, "I'm a donkey-I know it - I know I'm a donkey, and so I don't want to be told. As the French says, this is a out-and-out case of horse de combat. You are right-oh! I see regular plain that you are right. If the favourite don't do the trick, perhaps I shan't be in a pickle! and the favourite's no favourite of mine."

"You've seed the osses all on 'em, haven't yer? Is there any one you particular fancy?"

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'Why, yes, there's a little un there; but there's fifty to one against him, so he can't be no sort, though he looks as if he might be."

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Now, take my adwice: you go and get all the hods you can agin the field. Never mind any oss-take the field. That's the only way to perwent you bein' mucked of the whole squaddy."

"I see! I see! Here, catch hold a minute. I won't be gone long. I know where to find a few trumps as gives odds. But may I be smothered!"

Swelling with indignation at his dense stupidity, and cherishing a bright and most beautiful hope, Bob started with the view of honourably taking in some gentleman whom he had the felicity to number among his friends. The news, however, had spread that the field was sure to win; all wished to take the very odds that he wished to take. In vain he endeavoured to inspire them with the belief that they thereby stood in their own light: they wouldn't have it: they pronounced it simultaneously "no go." Thus foiled, thus deceived, and that, too, in a quarter in which he had reposed the utmost confidence, and in which he had centred every hope, his heart sank within him as he returned to communicate the melancholy fact to his friend. It was then that he felt that he was in the hands of fate,-it was then that he promised, that if in this his extremity fate would but be propitious, no power on earth should ever induce him to be so consummate a donkey again. And yet-why-who could tell? The favourite! - the favourite was a good horse,—a capital horse! He didn't like the look of him much, but he might win, he ought to win,-nay, on reflection, he would win. He resolved to entertain no doubt about the matter, for every doubt was painful. Hurrah for the favourite! The favourite against the field! The favourite for a thousand! The favourite for ever! He was not going then to lie down in a ditch and die!