and followed the bright splashes of color which
were the jockeys as they rushed through the sunlight.

At the rise Valerio II took the lead, while Cosinus and Hazard lost
ground, and Lusignan and Spirit were running neck and neck with Nana
still behind them.

"By jingo, the Englishman's gained! It's palpable!" said Bordenave.
"Lusignan's in difficulties, and Valerio II can't stay."

"Well, it will be a pretty biz if the Englishman wins!" cried Philippe
in an access of patriotic grief.

A feeling of anguish was beginning to choke all that crowded multitude.
Another defeat! And with that a strange ardent prayer, which was almost
religious, went up for Lusignan, while people heaped abuse on Spirit and
his dismal mute of a jockey. Among the crowd scattered over the grass
the wind of excitement put up whole groups of people and set their
boot soles flashing in air as they ran. Horsemen crossed the green at a
furious gallop. And Nana, who was slowly revolving on her own axis, saw
beneath her a surging waste of beasts and men, a sea of heads swayed and
stirred all round the course by the whirlwind of the race, which clove
the horizon with the bright lightning flash of the jockeys. She had been
following their movement from behind while the cruppers sped away and
the legs seemed to grow longer as they raced and then diminished till
they looked slender as strands of hair. Now the horses were running at
the end of the course, and she caught a side view of them looking minute
and delicate of outline against the green distances of the Bois. Then
suddenly they vanished behind a great clump of trees growing in the
middle of the Hippodrome.

"Don't talk about it!" cried Georges, who was still full of hope. "It
isn't over yet. The Englishman's touched."

But La Faloise was again seized with contempt for his country and grew
positively outrageous in his applause of Spirit. Bravo! That was right!
France needed it! Spirit first and Frangipane second--that would be a
nasty one for his native land! He exasperated Labordette, who threatened
seriously to throw him off the carriage.

"Let's see how many minutes they'll be about it," said Bordenave
peaceably, for though holding up Louiset, he had taken out his watch.

One after the other the horses reappeared from behind the clump of
trees. There was stupefaction; a long murmur arose among the crowd.
Valerio II was still leading, but Spirit was gaining on him, and behind
him Lusignan h