ft to him," reiterated the man, "if he can only stand up
to these three fences. Why, that boy's riding Bangle to keep him in his
place already."

A roar went up from the crowd.

"Boatman wins! Boatman! Boatman!"

"Vixen! Vixen!" cried a voice here and there, but they were drowned in a
universal cry of, "The grey wins, hands down. Boatman! Boatman!"

I was a happy woman for those brief seconds, the happiest woman in all
the wide earth; not a fear for the result troubled me. Already I seemed
to feel the glad clasp of Paul's hand, to see the light in his eyes,
that would say to me, even though others were present, that he had won
his bride, and I watched them coming down to the last fence, the fence
that led into the straight, without a tremor.

How could I? How could I? It makes me sick to think of it now, but then
I was so certain of success, I put my hand to my throat and took off
the little silk handkerchief that I wore there, that I might wave it
in triumph, and all round me the people, wild with excitement, were
shouting, "Boatman wins! Boatman wins!" It seemed as if they were all in
sympathy with me, and in my heart I blessed them for it.

Then, then, oh, Hope! how can I tell you? I didn't understand it for
many a long day, and though I saw it with my own eyes, I could not tell
you how it happened. All of a sudden the glad shouts of "Boatman wins"
changed to one of "They 're down, they're both down," and then, before
I had thoroughly grasped the situation, while I still held my little
scarf ready to wave, the shout went up just as joyously, oh, just as
joyously, "Vixen wins, Vixen! Vixen!"

Even then I did not understand the full extent of my misfortune; other
men had fallen and been all right, why not Paul? On my left, the man who
had put his money on the grey, swore an oath through his clenched teeth
that made me wonder had he as much at stake as I.

What happened? Oh, it was simple enough. They told me afterwards, when
it was nothing to me whether a race was ever run again in this world.
The grey had the race easily, they said, and was going strong. Paul
steadied him for the fence, but in the last couple of strides the Vixen
came with a tremendous rush, at the risk of his own neck, they said, and
the grey stood off his fence. Such a little thing, dear, such a little
thing. Boatman stood off his fence, landed on top, and turned clean
over on to his rider. Vixen hit all round, but by rattling good
horseman