"He doesn’t seem any the worse for his adventure," said Carne, as the trainer went up to him and ran his hand over his legs. "Not a bit," answered the other. "He’s a wonderfully even-tempered horse, and it takes a lot to put him out. If his nerves had been at all upset he wouldn’t have licked up his food as clean as he has done." Having given another look at him, they left him in charge of his lad, and returned to the house. The gallop after breakfast confirmed their conclusion that there was nothing the matter, and Simon Carne returned to town ostensibly comforted by Bent’s solemn assurance to that effect. That afternoon Lord Calingforth, the owner of Vulcanite, called upon him. They had met repeatedly, and consequently were on the most intimate terms. "Good-afternoon, Carne," he said as he entered the room. "I have come to condole with you upon your misfortune, and to offer you my warmest sympathy." "Why, what on earth has happened?" asked Carne, as he offered his visitor a cigar. "God bless my soul, my dear fellow! Haven’t you seen the afternoon paper? Why, it reports the startling news that your stables were broken into last night, and that my rival, Knight of Malta, was missing this morning." Carne laughed. "I wonder what they’ll say next," he said quietly. "But don’t let me appear to deceive you. It is perfectly true that the stables were broken into last night, but the thieves were disturbed, and decamped just as they were forcing the lock of the Knight’s box." "In that case I congratulate you. What rascally inventions some of these sporting papers do get hold of, to be sure. I’m indeed glad to hear that it is not true. The race would have lost half its interest if your horse were out of it. By the way, I suppose you are still as confident as ever?" "Would you like to test it?" "Very much, if you feel inclined for a bet." "Then I’ll have a level thousand pounds with you that my horse beats yours. Both to start or the wager is off. Do you agree?" "With pleasure. I’ll make a note of it." The noble Earl jotted the bet down in his book, and then changed the subject by inquiring whether Carne had ever had any transactions with his next-door neighbor, Klimo. "Only on one occasion," the other replied. "I consulted him on behalf of the Duke of Wiltshire at the time his wife’s diamonds were stolen. To tell the truth, I was half thinking of calling him in to see if he could find the fellow who broke into the stables last night, but on second thoughts I determined not to do so. I did not want to make any more fuss about it than I could help. But what makes you ask about Klimo?" "Well, to put the matter in a nutshell, there has been a good deal of small pilfering down at my trainer’s place lately, and I want to get it stopped." "If I were you I should wait till after the race, and then have him down. If one excites public curiosity just now, one never knows what will happen."