9 was Palimpsest, ridden by Ratton; 3 was Witch Hazel, and 7 was Crumpet. Dollie came in at this moment and glanced at the board. "Good Heavens," he said, "I've just scraped in, but Falconer's on to the winner. And 3--who's 3?" "Witch Hazel," said Ann. "Perhaps you'll tell me," said Dollie, "why you fixed on such an outsider as that?" "Because," said his betrothed, "Mrs. Boody, our housekeeper, always says that if you're ever in doubt what to do you should try Witch Hazel. I mean when you've hurt yourself." "Why didn't you tell me that?" Dollie asked with some spirit. "Because tips of that kind are such personal things. They don't work for others. Anyway, you're all square." "Yes, but I could only get 3 to 1 for a place on Crumpet, while I got you 4½ to 1. But if I don't hurry we shan't get even what we have won." Dollie returned laden with gold and five pound notes, which he distributed. To Ann he gave two pounds, fifteen shillings which she took with a little pout, remarking, "If only I'd put it on to win!" while Naomi, when he gave her her ill-gotten gains, remarked, "If only I'd made it a sovereign!" "Ah," said Sir Gaston, "what you ought to say is, 'If only I hadn't bet at all.' There's an insidious poison in that money. Mark my words. Some day if you go on like this you'll be on the staff of the _Star_ or become a secret cocoa-drinker. If you go to my overcoat, Ann," he continued, "and feel in the right-hand pocket, you'll find the card I marked before this race." Ann fetched it and gave it to her father. '"I don't insist on your believing me," he said, "but it is true none the less. While you were making up your minds how to lay out your money, I tried my luck at spotting the winner, and here's the result." He held out the card and, to our astonishment and almost to Dollie's permanent and tragic undoing, we saw that he had named not only the winner but the second horse as well. "My hat, sir," cried Dollie, "how did you do that?" Sir Gaston looked inscrutable. "No, but do tell us," Naomi said. "It's like magic." "Well," said Sir Gaston, "I'll tell you. But you'll keep the secret, I hope. I first placed the race-card on the table--you could have seen me if you hadn't all been so consumed by the lust for money. I then took my pencil in my right hand, held the card with my left, closed my eyes, and made a dot at random. That was the first horse. Then I made dots for the other two, and you behold the result--two right out of three." "But why didn't you back your fancy?" Dollie asked. "You've thrown away a fortune." "For two reasons," said Sir Gaston. "One is that I never bet and don't want to. And the other is that I had no confidence in my prescience." "Will you try the same thing for me for the Oaks on Friday?" Dollie asked. "Certainly--if you will promise me something." "Well?" "Not to bet on the result." "Oh, but that's what I want it for."