‘I do not know anything about racing, Major Tifto.’

’I suppose not, your Grace.  But as I and Silverbridge are together in this matter I thought I’d just let your Grace know that we ought to have had a very good thing.  I thought that perhaps your Grace might like to know that.’

‘Tifto, you are making an ass of yourself,’ said Silverbridge.

‘Making an ass of myself!’ exclaimed the Major.

‘Yes;—­considerably.’

‘I think you are a little hard upon your friend,’ said the Duke, with an attempt at a laugh.  ’It is not to be supposed that he should know how utterly indifferent I am to everything connected with the turf.’

’I thought, my Lord Duke, you might care about learning how Silverbridge was going on.’  This the poor little man said almost with a whine.  His partner’s roughness had knocked out of him nearly all the courage which Bacchus had given him.

’So I do; anything that interests him, interests me.  But perhaps of all his pursuits racing is the one to which I am least able to lend an attentive ear.  That every horse has a head, and that all did have tails till they were ill-used, is the extent of my stable knowledge.’

’Very good indeed, my Lord Duke, very good indeed!  Ha, ha, ha!-all horses have heads, and all have tails!  Heads and tails.  Upon my word that is the best thing I have heard for a long time.  I will do myself the honour of wishing your Grace good-night.  By-bye, Silverbridge.’  Then he left the room, having been made supremely happy by what he considered to have been the Duke’s joke.  Nevertheless he would remember the snubbing and would be even with Silverbridge some day.  Did Lord Silverbridge think that he was going to look after his Lordship’s ’orses, and do this always on the square, and then be snubbed for doing it!

‘I am very sorry that he should have come in to trouble you,’ said the son.

’He has not troubled me much.  I do not know whether he has troubled you.  If you are coming down to the House again I will walk with you.’  Silverbridge of course had to go down to the House again, and they started together.  ’That man did not trouble me Silverbridge; but the question is whether such an acquaintance must not be troublesome to you.’

‘I’m not very proud of him, sir.’

‘But I think one ought to be proud of one’s friends.’

‘He isn’t my friend in that way at all.’

‘In what way then?’

‘He understands racing.’

’He is the partner of your pleasure then;—­the man whose society you love to enjoy the recreation of the racecourse.’

‘It is, sir, because he understands it.’

’I thought that a gentleman on the turf would have a trainer for that purpose;—­not a companion.  You mean to imply that you can save money by leaguing yourself with Major Tifto.’

‘No, sir,—­indeed.’

’If you associate with him, not for pleasure, then it must surely be for profit.  That you should do the former would be to me surprising that I must regard it as impossible.  That you should do the latter—­is, I think, a reproach.’  This, he said, with no tone of anger in his voice,—­so gently that Silverbridge at first hardly understood it.  But gradually all that was meant came in upon him, and he felt himself to be ashamed of himself.