The Case of Janissary | Page 8

getting clear. All right, though, all right! He's
coming!"
Janissary, indeed, was showing in front, and as the horses came along
the straight it was plain that Mr. Telfer's colt was holding the field
comfortably. There were changes in the crowd; some dropped away,
some came out and attempted to challenge for the lead, but the
favourite, striding easily, was never seriously threatened, and in the end,
being a little let out, came in a three-lengths winner, never once having
been made to show his best.
"I congratulate you, Mr. Telfer," said Dorrington, "and you may
congratulate me."
"Certainly, certainly," said Mr. Telfer hastily, hurrying off to lead in the
winner.
It was a bad race for the ring, and in the open parts of the course many
a humble fielder grabbed his satchel ere the shouting was over, and
made his best pace for the horizon; and more than one pair of false
whiskers, as red as Naylor's, came off suddenly while the owner betook
himself to a fresh stand. Unless a good many outsiders sailed home
before the end of the week there would be a bad Monday for layers. But
all sporting Redbury was jubilant. They had all been "on" the local
favourite for the local race, and it had won.

VI.
Mr. Bob Naylor "got a bit back", in his own phrase, on other races by
the end of the week, but all the same he saw a black settling day ahead.
He had been done -- done for a certainty. He had realized this as soon
as he saw the numbers go up for the Redbury Stakes. Janissary had not
been drugged after all. That meant that another horse had been
substituted for him, and that the whole thing was an elaborate plant. He

thought he knew Janissary pretty well by sight, too, and rather prided
himself on having an eye for a horse. But clearly it was a plant -- a
complete do. Telfer was in it, and so of course was that gentlemanly
stranger who had strolled along Redbury High Street with him that
night, telling that cock-and-bull story about the afternoon walks and the
handful of malt. There was a nice schoolboy tale to take in a man who
thought himself broad as Cheapside! He cursed himself high and low.
To be done, and to know it, was a galling thing, but this would be
worse. The tale would get about. They would boast of a clever stroke
like that, and that would injure him with everybody; with honest men,
because his reputation, as it was, would bear no worsening, and with
knaves like himself, because they would laugh at him, and leave him
out when any little co-operative swindle was in contemplation. But
though the chagrin of the defeat was bitter bad enough, his losses were
worse. He had taken everything offered on Janissary after he had
nobbled the wrong horse, and had given almost any odds demanded.
Do as he might, he could see nothing but a balance against him on
Monday, which, though he might pay out his last cent, he could not
cover by several hundred pounds.
But on the day he met his customers at his club, as usual, and paid out
freely. Young Richard Telfer, however, with whom he was heavily "in",
he put off till the evening. "I've been a bit disappointed this morning
over some ready that was to be paid over," he said, "and I've used the
last cheque-form in my book. You might come and have a bit of dinner
with me tonight, Mr. Telfer, and take it then."
Telfer assented without difficulty.
"All right, then, that's settled. You know the place -- Gold Street. Seven
sharp. The missis'll be pleased to see you, I'm sure, Mr. Telfer. Let's see
-- it's fifteen hundred and thirty altogether, isn't it?"
"Yes, that's it. I'll come."
Young Telfer left the club, and at the corner of the street ran against
Dorrington. Telfer, of course, knew him as his late fellow-guest at the
"Crown" at Redbury, and this was their first meeting in London after

their return from the races.
"Ah!" said Telfer. "Going to draw a bit of Janissary money, eh?"
"Oh, I haven't much to draw," Dorrington answered. "But I expect your
pockets are pretty heavy, if you've just come from Naylor."
"Yes, I've just come from Naylor, but I haven't touched the merry sovs
just yet," replied Telfer cheerfully. "There's been a run on Naylor, and
I'm going to dine with him and his respectable missis this evening, and
draw the plunder then. I feel rather curious to see what sort of
establishment a man like Naylor keeps going. His place is in Gold
Street, Chelsea."
"Yes, I believe so. Anyhow, I congratulate