me, but I can't understand it."

Fielden went over his points once more slowly and carefully, and then,
at last, Sir George began to see. He did not fail to grasp his own
position, either. He knew the peril in which he stood, unless he could
persuade Fielden to fall in with his plans. But Fielden had told him he
had backed the colt for all he was worth, and he was not likely to ruin
himself merely to save an old man from the result of his folly. Besides,
this would entail a shameful confession, for Sir George was not aware
that Fielden had an intelligent view of the situation.

"This is very awkward," he remarked.

"I don't see why it should be," Fielden said coolly. "You can make a
fortune, too. You have backed the horse heavily, and nothing in the race
has any chance of beating him. I must consider myself. I have learnt the
folly of sacrificing myself to my friends. In this affair I have some
one to think about besides myself. May----"

"May! What has she to do with it?"

Fielden hesitated. He hated to give anybody pain, but the time had come
to speak plainly.

"She has a great deal to do with it," he said. "Whatever disgrace falls
upon you cannot affect her good name. But, at the same time, I strongly
object to any one being able to say that my future wife's father had
been warned off the turf for malpractices."

"Malpractices!" Sir George cried. "My dear Fielden, you are forgetting
yourself. Explain, please."

"I had much rather not," Fielden said. "But since you force me to speak,
I must go on. I happen to know a good deal about Mr. Raymond Copley. I
know you are deeply in his debt. I know that he helped you, because he
hoped thereby to compel you to coerce May into a marriage with him. I am
given to understand that you have done your best. I beg of you, Sir
George, not to interrupt me. You have challenged me and I have a right
to state my case. Copley is a scoundrel. I knew something about him in
South Africa, though we never met. But he was in constant contact with a
sort of partner of mine named Aaron Phillips. Phillips and I contrived
to get an option on a diamond mine and, but for unforeseen
circumstances, we should have made a fortune out of it. But the locality
was kept a secret. The only man who knew where it was died and we had
nothing but some plans to go on. Copley and Foster heard of this and
resolved to get hold of those plans. The plans have vanished and
probably will never be seen again. The