"P.S.--Nellie sends love, and hopes to see you soon. No one is
here, but the aunt is coming shortly."
I was naturally anxious to oblige him, and luckily had nothing to keep
me in town; so that afternoon saw me rapidly speeding southwards, and
the evening, comfortably domiciled at The Lodge.
Bertie, who resided there with his sister, was not a rich man. £500 was
a good deal more than he could afford to lose, and poor little Nellie
was in a great flutter of anxiety and excitement in consequence of her
brother's rashness. As for the mare, she could gallop and jump; and
though we had no means of ascertaining the abilities of Blankney's
chestnut, we had sufficient faith in our Little Lady to enable us to
"come up to the scratch smiling;" and great hopes that we should be
enabled to laugh at the result in strict accordance with the permission
given in the old adage, "Let those laugh who win."
It was not very pleasant to rise at an abnormal hour every morning, and
arrayed in great-coats and comforters sufficient for six people, to
rush rapidly about the country; but it was necessary. I was a little
too heavy, and we could not afford to throw away any weight, nor did I
wish to have my saddle reduced to the size of a cheese-plate, as would
have been my fate had I been unable to reduce myself. Breakfast,
presided over by Nellie, compensated for all matutinal discomforts; and
then she came round to the stables to give the mare an encouraging pat
and a few words of advice and endearment which I verily believe the
gallant little mare understood, for it rubbed its nose against her
shoulder as though it would say, "Just you leave it in my hands--or,
rather, to my feet--and I'll make it all right!" Then we started for
our gallop, Bertie riding a steady old iron-grey hunter.
The fourth of December arrived, and the mare's condition was splendid.
"As fit as a fiddle," was the verdict of Smithers, a veterinary surgeon
who had done a good deal of training in his time, and who superintended
our champion's preparation; and though we were ignorant of the precise
degree of fitness to which fiddles usually attain, he seemed pleased,
and so, consequently, were we. Unfortunately on this morning Bertie's
old hunter proved to be very lame, so I was forced to take my last
gallop by myself; and with visions of success on the morrow, I passed
rapidly through the keen air over the now familiar way; for the course
was within a couple of miles of the house, and so we had the great
advantage of being able to accustom the mare to the very journey she
would have to take.
Bertie was in a field at the back of the stables when I neared home
again. "Come on!" he shouted, pointing to a nasty hog-backed stile,
which separated us. I gave Little Lady her head, and she cantered up to
it, lighting on the other side like a very bird! Bertie didn't speak as
I trotted up to him, but he looked up into my face with a triumphant
smile more eloquent than words.
"You've given her enough, haven't you?" he remarked, patting her neck,
as I dismounted in the yard.
"You've given her enough," usually signifies "you've given her too
much." But I opined not, and we walked round to the house tolerably
well convinced that the approaching banking transactions would be on
the right side of the book.
Despite a walk with Nellie, and the arrival of a pile of music from
town, the afternoon passed rather slowly; perhaps we were too anxious
to be cheerful. To make matters worse, dinner was to be postponed till
past eight, for the aunt was coming, and Nellie was afraid the visitor
would be offended if they did not wait for her.
"You look very bored and tired, sir!" said Nellie pouting prettily; "I
believe you'd yawn if it wasn't rude!"
I assured her that I could not, under any circumstances, be guilty of
such an enormity.
"It's just a quarter past seven. We'll go and meet the carriage, and
then perhaps you'll be able to keep awake until dinner-time!" and so
with a look of dignity which would have been very effective if the
merry smile in her eyes had been less apparent, the little lady swept
out of the room; to return shortly arrayed in furs, and a most
coquettish-looking hat, and the smallest and neatest possible pair of
boots, which in their efforts to appear strong and sturdy only made
their extreme delicacy more decided.
"Come, sleepy boy!" said she, holding out a grey-gloved hand. I rose
submissively, and followed her out of the snug drawing-room to the open
air.
Bertie was outside, smoking.
"We are going to meet the aunt, dear," explained Nellie. "I'm afraid
she'll be cross, because it's so cold."
"She's not quite so inconsequent as that, I should fancy; but it is
cold, and isn't the ground hard!" I said.
"It is hard!" cried Bertie, stamping vigorously. "By Jove! I hope it's
not going to freeze!" and afflicted by the notion--for a hard frost
would have rendered it necessary to postpone the races--he hurried off
to the stables, to consult one of the men who was weather-wise.
Some stone steps led from the terrace in front of the house to the
lawn; at either end of the top-step was a large globe of stone, and on
to one of these thoughtless little Nellie climbed. I stretched out my
hand, fearing that the weather had made it slippery, but before I could
reach her she slipped and fell.
"You rash little person!" I said, expecting that she would spring up
lightly.
"Oh! my foot!" she moaned; and gave a little shriek of pain as she put
it to the ground.
I took her in my arms, and summoning her maid, carried her to the
drawing-room.
"Take off her boot," I said to the girl, but Nellie could not bear to
have her foot touched, and feebly moaned that her arm hurt her.
"Oh! pray send for a doctor, sir!" implored the maid, while Nellie only
breathed heavily, with half-closed eyes; and horribly frightened, I
rushed off, hardly waiting to say a word to the poor little sufferer.
"Whatever is the matter?" Bertie cried, as I burst into the
harness-room.
"Where's the doctor?" I replied, hastily. "Nellie's hurt
herself--sprained her ankle, and hurt her arm--broken it, perhaps!"
"How? When?" he asked.
"There's no time to explain. She slipped down. Where's the doctor?"
"Our doctor is ill, and has no substitute. There's no one nearer than
Lawson, at Oakley, and that's twelve miles, very nearly."
"Then I must ride at once," I reply.
"Saddle my horse as quickly as possible," said Bertie to the groom.
"He's lame, sir, can't move!" the man replied, and I remembered that it
was so.
"Put a saddle on one of the carriage horses--anything so long as
there's no delay."
"They're out, sir! Gone to the station. There's nothing in the
stable--only the mare; and to gallop her to Oakley over the ground as
it is to-night, will pretty well do for her chance to-morrow--to say
nothing of the twelve miles back again. The carriage will be home in
less than an hour, sir," the man remonstrated.
"It may be, you don't know, the trains are so horridly unpunctual.
Saddle the mare, Jarvis, as quickly as you can--every minute may be of
the utmost value!" As Bertie spoke the _faintest_ look of regret
showed itself on his face for a second; for of course he knew that such
a journey would very materially affect, if it did not entirely destroy,
the mare's chance.
Jarvis, who I think had been speculating, very reluctantly took down
the saddle and bridle from their pegs, but I snatched them from his
arms, and assisted by Bertie, was leading her out of the stable in a
very few seconds.
"Hurry on! Never mind the mare--good thing she's in condition," said
Bertie, who only thought now of his sister. "I'll go and see the girl."
"I can cut across the fields, can't I, by the cross roads?" I asked,
settling in the saddle.
"No! no! Keep to the highway; it's safer at night. Go on!" I heard him
call as I went at a gallop down the cruelly hard road.
The ground rang under the mare's feet, and in spite of all my anxiety
for Nellie I could not help feeling one pang of regret for Little Lady,
whose free, bounding action, augured well for what her chances would
have been on the morrow--chances which I felt were rapidly dying out;
for if this journey didn't lame her nothing would. Stones had just been
put down as a matter of course; but there was no time for picking the
way, and taking tight hold of her head we sped on.
About a mile from the Lodge I came to the crossroads. Before me was a
long vista of stone--regular rocks, so imperfectly were they broken: to
the right was the smoother and softer pathway over the fields--perfect
going in comparison to the road. Just over this fence, a hedge, and
with hardly another jump I should come again into the highway, saving
quite two miles by the cut. Bertie had said "Don't," but probably he
had spoken thoughtlessly, and it was evidently the best thing to do,
for the time I saved might be of the greatest value to poor little
suffering Nellie! I pulled up, and drew the mare back to the opposite
hedge. She knew her work thoroughly. Three bounds took her across the
road: she rose--the next moment I was on my back, shot some distance
into the field, and she was struggling up from the ground. There had
been a post and rail whose existence I had not suspected, placed some
six feet from the hedge on the landing side. She sprang up, no legs
were broken; and I, a good deal shaken and confused, rose to my feet,
wondering what to do next. I had not had time to collect my thoughts
when I heard the rattle of a trap on the road; it speedily approached,
and the moonlight revealed the jolly features of old Tom Heathfield, a
friendly farmer.
"Accident, sir?" he asked, pulling up. "What! Mr Vaughan!" as he caught
sight of my face. "What's the---- why! that ain't the mare, sure-_lie_?"
All the neighbourhood was in a ferment of excitement about the races,
and the sight of Little Lady in such a place at such a time struck
horror to the honest old farmer.
"Yes, it is--I'm sorry to say. Miss Peyton has met with an accident. I
was going for the doctor, and unfortunately there was nothing else in
the stable."
"You was going to Oakley, I s'pose, sir? It'll be ruination to the
mare. Miss Peyton hurt herself! I'll bowl over, sir; it won't take
long; this little horse o' mine can trot a good 'un; and I can bring
the doctor with me. The fences, there, is mended with wire. You'd cut
the mare to pieces."
"I can't say how obliged to you I am----"
"Glad of the opportunity of obliging Miss Peyton, sir; she's a real
lady!" He was just starting when he checked himself. "There's a little
public house about a hundred yards further on; if you don't mind
waiting there I'll send Smithers to look at the mare. I pass his house.
All right, sir."
His rough little cob started off at a pace for which I had not given it
credit; and I slowly followed, leading the mare towards the glimmering
light which Heathfield had pointed out. My charge stepped out well, and
I didn't think that there was anything wrong, though glad, of course,
to have a professional opinion.
A man was hanging about the entrance to the public-house, and with his
assistance the mare was bestowed in a kind of shed, half cow-house,
half stable; and as the inside of the establishment did not look by any
means inviting, I lit a cigar and lounged about outside, awaiting the
advent of Smithers.
He didn't arrive; and in the course of wandering to and fro I found
myself against a window. Restlessly I was just moving away when a voice
inside the room repeated the name of _Blankney_. I started, and
turning round, looked in.
It was a small apartment, with a sanded floor, and two persons were
seated on chairs before the fire conversing earnestly. One of them was
a middle-aged man, clad in a brown great-coat with a profusion of
fur-collar and cuffs which it would scarcely be libel to term "mangy."
He was the owner of an unwholesome-looking face, decorated as to the
chin with a straggling crop of bristles which he would have probably
termed an imperial.
"Wust year I ever 'ad!" he exclaimed (and a broken pane in the window
enabled me to hear distinctly). "The Two Thousand 'orse didn't run; got
in deep over the Derby; Hascot was hawful; and though I had a moral for
the Leger, it went down."
His own morals, judging from his appearance and conversation, appeared
to have followed the example of that for the Leger.
"I can't follow your plans about this race down here, though," said his
companion, a younger man, who seemed to hold the first speaker in great
awe despite his confessions of failure. "Don't you say that this young
Blankney's horse can't get the distance?"
"I do. He never was much good, I 'ear; never won nothing, though he's
run in two or three hurdle-races; and since Phil Kelly's been preparing
of 'im for this race he's near about broke down. His legs swell up like
bolsters after his gallops; and he can't get three miles at all, I
don't believe, without he's pulled up and let lean agin something on
the journey to rest hisself."
"And yet you're backing him?"
"And yet I'm backing of him."
"This young Peyton's mare can't be worse?" said the younger man,
interrogatively.
"That mare, it's my belief, would be fancied for the Grand National if
she was entered, and some of the swells saw 'er. She's a real good
'un!" replied the man with the collar.
"I see. You've got at her jockey. You're an artful one, you are."
As the jockey to whom they alluded, I was naturally much interested.
"No, I ain't done that, neither. He's a gentleman, and it's no use
talkin' to such as 'im. They ain't got the sense to take up a good
thing when they see it--though, for the matter o' that, most of the
perfessionals is as bad as the gentlemen. All's fair in love and war,"
says I; "and this 'ere's war."
"Does Blankney know how bad his horse is?"
"No, bless yer! That ain't Phil Kelly's game." (Kelly was, I knew, the
man who had charge of my opponent's horse.)
"Well, then, just explain, will you; for _I_ can't see."
From the recesses of his garment the elder man pulled out a short stick
about fifteen inches in length, at the end of which was a loop of
string; and from another pocket he produced a small paper parcel.
"D'yer know what that is? That's a 'twitch.' D'yer know what that is?
That's medicine. I love this 'ere young feller's mare so much I'm
a-goin' to give it some nicey med'cine myself; and this is the right
stuff. I've been up to the 'ouse to-day, and can find my way into the
stable to-night when it's all quiet. Just slip this loop over 'er lip,
and she'll open 'er mouth. Down goes the pill, and as it goes down the
money goes into my pocket. Them officer fellers and their friends have
been backing Blankney's 'orse; but Phil Kelly will take care that they
hear at the last moment that he's no good. Then they'll rush to lay
odds on the mare--and the mare won't win."
They laughed, and nudged each other in the side, and I felt a mighty
temptation to rush into the room and nudge their heads with my fist.
Little Lady's delicate lips, which Nelly had so often petted, to be
desecrated by the touch of such villains as these!
While struggling to restrain myself a hand was laid on my shoulders,
and, turning round, I saw Smithers. We proceeded to the stable; and I
hastily recounted to him what had happened, and what I had heard, as he
examined the mare by the aid of a bull's-eye lantern. He passed his
hand very carefully over her, whilst I looked on with anxious eyes.
"She's knocked a bit of skin off here, you see." He pointed to a place
a little below her knee, and drawing a small box from his pocket,
anointed the leg. "But she's all right. All right, ain't you, old
lady?" he said, patting her; and his cheerful tone convinced me that he
was satisfied. "We'll lead her home. I'll go with you, sir; and it's
easy to take means to prevent any games to-night."
When we reached home the doctor was there, and pronounced that, with
the exception of a sprained ankle, Nelly had sustained no injury.
Rejoicing exceedingly, we proceeded to the stable; Heathfield, who
heard my story, and who was delighted at the prospect of some fun,
asking permission to accompany us.
"Collars" had doubtless surveyed the premises carefully, for he arrived
about eleven o'clock, and clambered quietly and skilfully into the
hayloft above the stable, after convincing himself that all was quiet
inside. He opened the trap-door, and down came a foot and leg, feeling
about to find a resting-place on the partition which divided Little
Lady's loose box from the other stalls. Bertie and I took hold of the
leg, and assisted him down, to his intense astonishment; while
Heathfield and a groom gave chase to, and ultimately captured his
friend, the watcher on the threshold.
* * * * *
"If I'm well enough to do _anything_ I'm well enough to lie on the
sofa; and there's really _no_ difference between a sofa and an
easy-chair--if my foot is resting--and I'm sure the carriage is
_easier_ than any chair; and it can't matter about my foot being an
inch or two higher or lower--and as for shaking, that's all nonsense.
It's very unkind _indeed_ of you not to want to take me; and if you
won't, directly you've gone I'll get up, and walk about, _and stamp_!"
Thus Nelly, in answer to advice that she should remain at home. How it
ended may easily be guessed; and though we tried to be dignified, as we
drove along, to punish her for her wilfulness, her pathetic little
expressions of sorrow that she should "fall down, and hurt herself, and
be such a trouble to everybody," and child-like assurances that she
would "not do it again," soon made us smile, and forget our
half-pretended displeasure. So with the aunt to take care of her, in
case Bertie and I were insufficient, we reached the course.