he world with him,
and swore they'd never met such a man in their lives--very likely they
hadn't, either. He was introduced to the judge and the stewards and the
Commissioner and the police magistrate, and as much fuss made over him
as if he was the Governor's son. It was as good as a play. I got up as
near as I dared once or twice, and I couldn't hardly keep from bursting
out laughing when I saw how grave he talked and drawled and put up his
eyeglass, and every now and then made 'em all laugh, or said something
reminded him of India, where he'd last come from.

Well, that was a regular fizzer of a spree, if we never had another. The
racing was very fair, and, as luck would have it, the Dawson horses won
all the big money, and, as they started at longish odds, they must have
made a pot of money, and Starlight too, as he'd gone in a docker for
their stable. This made them better friends than ever, and it was Dawson
here and Lascelles there all over the course.

Well, the day went over at last, and all of them that liked a little
fun and dancing better than heavy drinking made it up to go to the race
ball. It was a subscription affair--guinea tickets, just to keep out the
regular roughs, and the proceeds to go to the Turon Jockey Club Fund.
All the swells had to go, of course, and, though they knew it would be
a crush and pretty mixed, as I heard Starlight say, the room was large,
the band was good, and they expected to get a fair share of dancing
after an hour or so.

Starlight and the Dawsons dined at the camp, and were made a good deal
of--their health drunk and what not--and Starlight told us afterwards
he returned thanks for the strangers and visitors; said he'd been told
Australia was a rough place, but he never expected to find so much
genuine kindness and hospitality and, he might add, so much refinement
and gentlemanly feeling. Speaking for himself, he had never expected,
considering his being a total stranger, to be welcomed so cordially
and entertained so handsomely, more particularly at the mess of her
Majesty's goldfields officials, whose attention on this occasion they
might be assured he would never forget. He would repeat, the events of
this particular day would never be effaced from his memory. (Tremendous
cheering.)

After dinner, and when the champagne had gone round pretty reasonable,
the Commissioner proposed they should all adjourn to the ball, when, if
Mr. Lascelles cared about dancing, he ventu