Page:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (emended first edition), Volume 2.djvu/264

254 Then, suddenly lifting up his voice, he regaled us with a few bars of a rollicking song, which abruptly ceasing, he finished the tune with a whistle, and then continued,—"I say Mrs. Huntingdon, what a fine stud your husband has!—not large but good.—I've been looking at them a bit this morning; and upon my word, Black Bess, and Grey Tom, and that young Nimrod are the finest animals I've seen for many a day!" Then followed a particular discussion of their various merits, succeeded by a sketch of the great things he intended to do in the horse-jockey line when his old governor thought proper to quit the stage—"Not that I wish him to close his accounts," added he; "the old trojan is welcome to keep his books open as long as he pleases for me."

"I hope so, indeed, Mr. Hattersley!"

"Oh yes! It's only my way of talking. The event must come, sometime, and so I look to the bright side of it—that's the right plan, isn't it, Mrs. H.?—What are you two doing here, by the by—where's Lady Lowborough?"