“Ah, yes--I know; but my case is different. Only fancy if old Dub was to find out (which he would be almost sure to do if the horse didn’t win) that the brute is mine, and has been all along; what a row there would be! And then there’s that infernal fellow Nathan--it’s ruinous work renewing--so ruinous that, by Jove, I sometimes think--though of course I couldn’t decide anything without speaking to you. I sometimes think whether it wouldn’t be better--you see it would never do for the old fellow to get wind of these confounded bills--I sometimes think whether it wouldn’t be the best thing I could do to let Lord Penshanger have Rough Diamond, and so get out of the infernal bother of the business altogether.” Fred Norcott, at these words turning a hot and angry face to his companion, looked by no means at his pleasantest. “What, sell the favourite!” he said. “By Jove, you must be mad! I couldn’t allow or hear of such a thing. I must say that--but I beg your pardon, Vavasour; you can understand that when a man has so much at stake he loses his head, and hardly knows what he’s talking about. The fact is that Honor--that poor girl in there” (and he pointed to the house, before which they had been slowly pacing to and fro) “is deuced miserable with that brute of a farmer fellow that she married. She’s staying on with me because he and an old mother that he has bully her so confoundedly between them; and I should be glad to know if any tricks were to be played on Rough Diamond (and I’ll answer for nothing if there’s any change made) what would become of that poor child? _I_ shouldn’t have a home to offer her, and--but, by George, there are the horses! Honor will be down in a minute, and I shall be late,” consulting his watch again, “if I’m not off to Waterloo in double quick time. Not going down to-day, eh? Well, there’s no accounting for tastes. See you at Opera to-night, I suppose?” And on receiving an affirmative nod from Arthur, who already had his foot on the first step of No. 14, Colonel Norcott went his way towards the station, where almost countless crowds were waiting to be conveyed to the same goal--namely, the racecourse on Epsom Downs.