"Have you backed him?'
"Only a trifle; half-a-crown that a friend put me on. Do they say he'll
win?"
"They say that if he don't break down he'll win by 'alf a mile; it all
depends on his leg."
"Is he coming on in the betting?"
"Yes, I believe they're now taking 12 to 1 about him. But I'll ask
William, if you like."
"No, no, I only wanted to know if you'd heard anything new."