When my new hack stepped on shore and his clothes were taken off, Monsieur H—— and his allies—who had heard of the expected arrival and were in waiting—pronounced him not good enough to draw a voiture, and said if I had given more than £10 for the ugly brute I had been swindled.
The new comer was, it must be confessed, not a beauty to look at, and before he had been many minutes on French soil he displayed unmistakable signs of a disagreeable temper, but the old adage says "handsome is that handsome does." He was certainly not an easy horse to ride, and you required to know his little peculiarities. A dead set was made against him in the town, and I was about the only person who thought him anything but the unmanageable animal he appeared to be. Of course I had good grounds for a contrary belief.
Trotting on the sands one day soon after the arrival of my new purchase I encountered Monsieur H—— on Clotilde. Since his victory the little man had taken to patronizing me; before, he rather valued my opinion, but now my most sagacious remarks passed unheeded, and wore not worth the breath spent upon them.
"So sorry you have been imposed upon with that brute," he remarked. "I wanted to give you your revenge."
"Nevermind my horse's appearance," I replied. "If you really wish another contest, we are ready."
"You mean that? At double the stakes if you like."
The cunning landlord was sanguine of the result because his mare had undergone a regular course of training, and looked at least 10 lbs. better than she did on the last occasion.
This was well known to me, but I was not in the least afraid. So anxious was he of settling the match there and then that to equalize the chances, as he said, he offered to give me a two lengths start, but this kind proposal I, much to his astonishment, declined. I consented, however, to the other terms, and later in the day a regular agreement was signed at the hotel.