"Whose yellow drag and grays is that coming up the course?" said one of the occupants of the lawn in front of the Grand Stand. "I do not know it." A dozen glasses were at once levelled at the object.
"Whose drag?" said the sly-looking little man we have alluded to before. "Why, Lord Plunger's. George Bradon is sitting on the box seat with him, and the rest are officers of his old regiment--I know their faces."
"By jingo!" burst out a score of voices: "then he is in England, and come to see his horses run, or scratch them. Now we shall know something."
"I wonder if he will be flattered when he hears the price his nags are at now?" said another.
"He will not care a rap," said the sly-looking little man. "Look out, my boys, there's something up, you may depend. Bradon, if his horses do go, has something pretty good, you may rely. I warned you all before. Now, I have not laid a penny against his nags. I have let them alone--till the last minute. But here they come."
"Hallo, Bradon!" burst out fifty voices. "What, in England! Come to see the nags beaten?"
"Well, I do not know," said George, shaking hands with some of them. "I hope they will be there, or thereabouts; pretty heavy the ground to-day. My horses can stand it, which a good many of the others cannot."
"Are your horses here?" said the sly-looking little man.
"Not yet," returned Bradon, "but they will be by-and-by. Old Mason has got them stowed away somewhere; but upon my soul I don't know where they are myself at present."
"Which shall you declare to win with?" asked the sly-looking little man continuing his interrogations.
"And your jocks?" put in another. "All the talent is engaged. A pity you are so heavy--why, you've grown immense. You will want a dray-horse to carry you soon."
"Think I have?" said George. "It's my coats, man. Every fellow looks large with a couple of top-coats on, and a huge-wrapper round his throat. I know all the talent is engaged. One of my lads will ride the gray."
"I say, Bradon," put in another, "I heard you weighed twelve stone five; is that a fact?"
"Yes," said George; "I put on sixteen pounds in less than two years--an idle life at home did for me."
"But, Bradon," persisted the sly-looking little man, "you say one of your lads is going to ride the gray. But Guardsman--_who is to ride him_?"