“It happened one day, as my brother and I were taking four chopped ’osses to a fair (we never ventured into a market with a prigged prad), a pack of hounds crossed the road, and presently a lot of swells came leaping over the hedge arter them. One of the last of these, togged in a scarlet coat, came rolling over the ’oss slap at Ralph’s feet. “‘Hallo!’ said Ralph, ‘a regular spill.’ “Over went the ’oss on the t’other side into the field. ‘She’ll gallop home,’ said the huntsman. “‘No she won’t,’ said I, and away I goes with my pony arter her. Well, I had a good chase, but I nabbed her, and getting into the saddle slap, I gallops back and took the hedge and ditch like a good un into the road where Ralph was rubbing down the swell. “‘Good lad,’ said the huntsman. ‘Why he can ride a bit.’ “‘Ride,’ said Ralph; ‘I believe you, master.’ “‘Try her again,’ said the swell. “So I puts the mare over the hedge and back agen, like a buck in full chase. “‘Well done, excellent; you’re a brave boy,’ exclaimed the swell cove. ‘Do you want a place, my lad?’ “‘I could do very well with one, sir,’ I answered. “‘Very well; if you do come to my stables,’ said he, and with that he handed me his card. “Well arter he had gone I thought of what he sed, and the next day I ran over to the gentleman’s stables, when I met a chap cleaning a curb chain. “‘What do want here?’ said the man. “‘I want to see your master,’ I replied. “‘Do you?’ he returned, with an impudent mocking laugh. “‘If you take my advice, youngster, you’ll just hook it.’ “‘I shan’t do nuffin of the sort,’ ses I. “He laid hold of a long riding whip, and told me to be off. “‘Don’t you think I am afraid of you, big as you are’ I ses. “With that he aimed a blow at me with the whip. “I dodged on one side, and caught hold of the lash. “We had a tussle. I wrested the whip from his hand, and gave him a sharp blow over the legs with the butt end of the weapon. “Arter this we had a set-to. I floored him twice, when up comes my new master. “‘Leave the lad alone,’ said the swell, addressing himself to my antagonist. ‘You’re a deal too fast.’ “‘He tried to break my leg,’ answered the man. “‘I’ve seen the whole affair from the garden. You were the aggressor,’ said the gentleman, who then bade me follow him into the house. “He took me into a fine room in which were seated several gentlemen, I s’pose they called themselves; and found them to be a fast lot. But I was a little surprised to hear them ‘my lord’ my master, and he ‘Sir Edgar’ and ‘Sir Thomas’ them. “Well, the upshot of it was that they made bets that I would lick the groom, whom they called Andrew. “We had a set-to. The fight lasted over five and twenty minutes, and I was declared victor. “After this I had a chair among the swells, and drank wine out of a tumbler, and the footman brought me some sandwiches, while they talked of a lot of things in slang that puzzled me.