a comer when he returned to neither the nor the mare was perceptible to his naked eyes and he had been searching in vain for them ever since it was the time not for words but deeds and mr did not indulge in futile but sat down and composed a reply wire to the clerk of course in these simple words have you seen my mare � after the suspense of an hour the reply came in the form of an abrupt negative upon which mr thus addressed the abashed even should i my mare in time you have proved stone walls yourself unworthy of riding her strip off your racing coat and cap and i will engage some more the lad over the which stuffed being of very fine silken into his coat pocket after which he hurried off to victoria in great agitation to make inquiries there the officials treated his modest in very off handed style and he was becoming all of a with anxiety and humiliation when all of a sudden his ears were by the sound of a and he the beloved voice of way but whence did it proceed he ran to and fi o in excitement endeavouring to the sound there was no trace of a horse in any of the waiting a from rooms but at length he discovered that his mare had been locked up in the left luggage department and a porter mr had at last the indescribable felicity to embrace his favourite way chapter a race against time there s a certain old you ve got to be keen if you d beat him � although he is bald and he carries a clock and a machine on the he s called written to order by young english but i fear copied from poet ah with what did mr caress the neck of his precious horse how carefully he searched her to make sure that she had sustained no internal or other thank goodness he was unable to detect any flaw within or without � the probability being that the did not dare to commit such a breach of decorum to poison a favourite nd a from thought to accomplish her fell by leaving the mare as lost luggage and destroying the ticket receipt but old time had already lifted the glass to his lips and the contents were rapidly running down so mr approaching a railway politely requested him to hook a horse box the next train what was his surprise to hear that this could not be done until all trains had first themselves with passionate he pleaded that if such a law of and was to be insisted on way would arrive at several hours too late to in the race in which she was already morally victorious � until at length the official and to a race against time i i do the job for valuable consideration in hard cash after all his pockets our unhappy hero could only fork out enough for third class single ticket for himself and he accordingly that his mare might travel as baggage in the guard s van i am not to say whether the officials at this leading were all in the pay of the since i am naturally reluctant to advance so serious a charge against such industrious and parties but it is con that mr s very reasonable request was in highly offensive dried fashion and he was recommended to walk himself and his horse off the platform fair e how was it a from for any horse to win the race without putting in an appearance and how was way to put in her appearance if she was not allowed access to any train a less wilful and individual than mr would have certainly under so much red but it only served to s monkey how far is the distance to he inquired fourteen miles he was answered and what o clock the race about one p m and it is now just the middle of the day exclaimed very well since it seems way is not to ride in th railway she shall cover the on a race against time author s note on illustration no vn i earnestly my benevolent to suppress at all events this illustration � as much for the sake of mr who if it appears will be the stock of every cultivated young indian with any acquaintance at all with english life as on my own poor account i ask anyone endowed with � could there be a more grotesque than this of such a well known scene as the annual pilgrimage to the race it is true that i wrote every description of conveyance � but how was i being non to anticipate that mr would interpret the phrase as including such as a cab by a and a kind oi borne by two members of the caste he further his colossal ignorance by the introduction of a snake � a character who even that he ever made his d but on a london would be speedily run in with all his for traffic moreover where is his authority for representing an bird as an ordinary london fowl time and patience fail me to indicate the countless and howling which mr has achieved in the space of this single picture but i say once more it is possible to provide a novel of this with congenial and appropriate drawings by an artist who is acquainted with what is what it is infinitely to dispense with illustrations altogether than to such a work with and pictures h b j a race against time i s mare for i will ride her to in so courageous a determination loud cheers from the who cordially advised him to put his best legs foremost as he mounted his crack and set off with broken speed for i must request my indulgent readers 