Year: 1868

government gave holiday on the Der
by day to the clerks in the Sword and
Gun Office, upon the condition / have
mentioned, and all those who avaiIed
themselves of the offer pledged their
words to use the opportunity as it was
intended to be used. If Charley, hav-
ing obtained his days leave, had not
gone to Epson Downs, he would have
behaved unlike a gentleman 7hats
clear, I hope


"The government ought to be asham-
ed of themselves = observed Uncle
Bunce.


Very likely; but your nephew is
not the government, and although /
hear from the chief of his department
a most excellent account of the young
fellow, 1t is not likely he ever will be-
Thus, you see, to begin with, so far
from shirking his duties to 90 to the
Derby, Charley only obeyed orders,-
and l have no doubt with great cheer
fulness. This is certainly excellent
wine


did the government make him bet
fifty pounds to ten pounds against Pal
myra 2 inquired the old gentleman
grimly, after long silence.


"The government did MT, but the
Office did, said "in this way. There
was a Derby sweep got up among the
Sword and Gun clerks, it is always
the case at every government office;
and Charley put in his sovereign like
the rest. Perhaps that was wrong o,
him; but if you never did worse, friend
Nicholas, when you were young man,
all can say is, you were too good to
live, and l should MT fancy you were
ever likely to die Of that complaint" If
rose, and going to the window that
looked out into the quiet street, threw
it up, to let in the summer air. Come,
come; you'll forgive his putting into
the sweep" said |. Il don't ask you
to be generous, but to be just"


Il forgive him that, Of course, but
or the bet will not forgive him. How
is it possible that the Office could have
had anything to do with his making a
bet which if he had lost, he could new
er pay"


He won it, said |, quietly; ,.and
it would have been a most ulblsiness-
like transaction if he had not laid the
money. Yes, Mr.. Bunce; you have
been wrong throughout this matter
hitherto, and you are wrong now. l
say that Charley would have shown
himself unworthy Of being your rela-
tive if he had not laid the odds against
Palmyra : and I'll prove it. The case
was simply this; Charley drew Pal
myra in this sovereign sweep, so that,
if the mare had won, he would have
received (since almost all the clerks
subscribed to it) at least one hundred
pounds. His obvious duty, then, IS a
man of business,-and not a merely
gambling spectator-was to make
some portion of the money safe. lie
therefore betted fifty pounds to ten
poundsasainst the mare; if she had won,
ne would have cleared fifty pounds by
the transaction; and as it was. although
she lost, the astute young fellow man
aged to secure ten pounds, minus the
sovereign originally invested"


"Ah, that was it,-was it," said Tn
Gle Bunce, looking, I must say. most
uncommonly foolish. However. YOU
must confess that appearances were
much against the lad


OF bit" said I. ''On the contrary
they are very much in his favor. Come
to the window here. and Judge for
yourself; there he is, at the corner
yonder, waiting for me to whistle fer
him. Does he look like one of your
cunning hang-dog Turftes,-- such as
You have pictured him, or likely to
grow into any such horrid shape p
Unless he happens to draw a favorite
in sweep a second time,-which is
not very likely,-I will answer for him
that he will never make a bet in his
life again. Come sir, you whistle for
HIM; and Uncle Bunce did whistle, as
cheertully as any blackb;rd; and as the
young fellow ran up, he held his hand
out through the open window, to let
him know at once that all was explain
ed and forgiven. And then he came
indoors, and something which I had
caused to be privately kept hot for him
down stairs-tor Uncle Bunces cook
loved the lad-was brought up by way
OF dinner, and Uncle Bunce and I and
Charley had a merry evening together
after all.-Et~y Saturday.