"Do you listen much to the betting talk here of an evening?" Sarah asked, as she was leaving.
"I don't pay much attention, but I can't help hearing a good deal."
"Do they talk much about Ben Jonson for the Cesarewitch?"
"They do, indeed; he's all the go."
Sarah's face brightened perceptibly, and Esther said—
"Have you backed him?'
"Only a trifle; half-a-crown that a friend put me on. Do they say he'll win?"
"They say that if he don't break down he'll win by 'alf a mile; it all depends on his leg."
"Is he coming on in the betting?"
"Yes, I believe they're now taking 12 to 1 about him. But I'll ask
William, if you like."