The  Ambler  turned  his  black,  wild  eye,  crescented  with
white,  threw  up  his  head,  and  gazed  far  into  the  distance.
'  If  one  could  only  make  him  understand  !'  thought
George.
When  his  horse  left  the  paddock  for  the  starting-post
George  went  back  to  the  stand.  At  the  bar  he  drank  some
more  whisky,  and  heard  someone  say  :

'  I  had  to  lay  six  to  four.  I  want  to  find  Pendyce  ;  they
say  he's  backed  it  heavily.'


GEORGE  GOES  FOR  THE  GLOVES  185

George  put  down  his  glass,  and  instead  of  going  to  his
usual  place,  mounted  slowly  to  the  top  of  the  stand.
1  I  don't  want  them  buzzing  round  me,'  he  thought.
At  the  top  of  the  stand — that  national  monument,
visible  for  twenty  miles  around — he  knew  himself  to  be
safe.  Only  '  the  many  '  came  here,  and  amongst  the  many
he  thrust  himself  till  at  the  very  top  he  could  rest  his  glasses
on  a  rail  and  watch  the  colours.  Besides  his  own  peacock
blue  there  was  a  straw,  a  blue  with  white  stripes,  a  red  with
white  stars.
They  say  that  through  the  minds  of  drowning  men  troop
ghosts  of  past  experience.  It  was  not  so  with  George  ;  his
soul  was  fastened  on  that  little  daub  of  peacock  blue.  Below
the  glasses  his  lips  were  colourless  from,  hard  compression  ;
he  moistened  them  continually.  The  four  little  coloured
daubs  stole  into  line,  the  flag  fell.
