“I have not been out yet.”
“Then I’ll tell you. It’s seven to one against your man.”
“What?”
“Seven to one, gov’nor, no less.”
“You’re talking nonsense, Warr! How could the betting change from three to two to seven to one?”
“Ive been to Tom Owen’s, and I’ve been to the ’Ole in the Wall, and I’ve been to the Waggon and ’Orses, and you can get seven to one in any of them. There’s tons of money being laid against your man. It’s a ’orse to a ’en in every sportin’ ’ouse and boozin’ ken from ’ere to Stepney.”
For a moment the expression upon my uncle’s face made me realize that this match was really a serious matter to him. Then he shrugged his shoulders with an incredulous smile.
“All the worse for the fools who give the odds,” said he. “My man is all right. You saw him yesterday, nephew?”
“He was all right yesterday, sir.”
“If anything had gone wrong I should have heard.”