On the morning to which I have already alluded19, Mr. Tiptop, cleaned, breakfasted, and considerably20 freshened up, having completely recovered the effects of his early gallop21, seen everything set straight about the stable, and dispatched two of his master’s horses to Shearsby Inn, was vainly waiting for an audience at the Honourable’s bedroom door about ten A.M.
The valet, a staid elderly man, who, as Mr. Tiptop would have said, made a point of “standing in” with all the upper servants, treated the stud-groom with considerable deference22. They had exhausted23 their usual topic of the weather, the probability of sport, and their master’s propensities24 for repose25, and were now beguiling26 the time by listening at his chamber27 door alternately, till the welcome sound of much splashing and hard breathing announced that the Honourable had tumbled out of bed into his tub.
After awhile the valet gave a low tap at the door, accompanied by a cough.
“Who’s there?” said the inmate28 of the chamber, sedulously29 drying his elegant proportions before an enormous fire.
“Beg your pardon, sir,” answered the well-drilled servant. “Mr. Tiptop, sir, wishes to speak to you, sir.”
“Tell him to go to the devil,” rejoined the Honourable, struggling leisurely30 into a clean shirt.
There was no occasion for the polite valet to repeat this message, inasmuch as Mr. Tiptop was there to hear it for himself. The servants looked at each other, and laughed in their sleeve.
Presently, the valet, who knew to a second how long each stage of the toilet ought to last, knocked again.
“What is it?” murmured the Honourable very indistinctly, for the sufficient reason that he was sedulously brushing his teeth.
“Mr. Tiptop, sir, wishes to know if he can see you before you go down to breakfast.”
The stud-groom was well aware that no confidential31 communication could take place during that meal, disturbed as it usually was by the arrival of other late starters, dropping in, to hurry their friend.
“Come in,” gurgled the Honourable: and his stud-groom made his appearance, smoothing his shiny head as all grooms32 do.
“What’s the matter, Tiptop?” inquired his master, poising33 the tooth-brush between finger and thumb. “Are all the horses lame34?”
“Not so bad as that, sir,” answered Tiptop, respectfully, revolving35 in his mind how he should begin what he had to say. For all his languor36, there was something about Crasher that made people very loath37 to take a liberty. “I only wanted to tell you, sir, of a horse I’ve seen as you ought to buy. I thought I’d make bold to tell you before any of the other gentlemen got word of him. He’s a flyer, sir—that’s what he is!”
Now, in all matters relating to the stable, Mr. Tiptop ruled paramount38, the Honourable’s system being to make his groom look out for horses, and if he liked their appearance himself, to buy them at once. With regard to riding, I have already said, he could make them all go, if they had any pretensions39 to hunters about them.
“Whose is he?” was the next question asked; for the Honourable was now finishing his toilet in such a hurry as would have made you suppose he never was late in his life.
“Mr. Sawyer’s, sir,” answered Tiptop. “It’s the bay. He’ll be on him to-day at Barkby Holt.”
“Very well,” answered the Honourable, buttoning on a watch-chain, with half-a-dozen lockets attached, as he emerged from his room. “Tell Smiles to get breakfast directly, and send the hack round in ten minutes!”
Mr. Tiptop looked after him admiringly, as he clanked downstairs. “He means business this morning,” thought the groom, “and I’ll lay a new hat he buys the bay horse!”
Now if Mr. Tiptop had felt he had the best of the morning trial, it had been his intention to pull his horse back, and gammon his friend Isaac that he was beat, with the laudable determination to get the better of that worthy40, as well as of the general public, by making good use of his knowledge previous to the race. When, however, he found that her antagonist41 had the heels of Chance, whom he had already tried with the other grooms to be quite the best in the town, he altered his tactics altogether. Obviously they ought to have both the flyers in the same stable; and it would be wiser to stand in with Isaac, and make the old groom a sharer in the profits, as he was already in the information which their early rising had enabled them to obtain. Mr. Tiptop forgot that it is as dark before dawn as it is after nightfall. He might, perhaps, have been farther enlightened, had he, instead of waiting at his master’s door till the Honourable’s teeth had been polished to the required degree of whiteness, been able to assist at an interview which took place at the same hour between Isaac and his master, in a room where the latter had just finished breakfast.
The old groom made no apology for entering; as was his custom, he plunged42 at once in medias res.
“I’ve sent two out for you to-day,” said he, marching up to Mr. Sawyer’s chair, and confronting him with a grin, such as might be cut out of mahogany.
“And left one in the stable! you old idiot!” exclaimed the indignant Mr. Sawyer. “What the deuce have you done that for?”
“You’ll want a second horse to-day,” answered the groom. “You’ll have a bid for Marathon before you’ve been on him half an hour. Leastways, if you’ve the discretion43 not to go a-showing of him up.”
“What do you mean?” asked Mr. Sawyer, with a dawning of intelligence overspreading his countenance44, for he knew his servant’s diplomatic talents of old.
“Only that they’re all of ’em wanting a nag5 to win this here donkey-race, as I call it; for none but a donkey would be concerned in such a tomfoolery; and Mr. Crasher, he’s satisfied by this time that Marathon’s the one as just can. You sit still upon him to-day, and keep jogging of him about, to qualify like, till the hounds find, and then open your mouth, and take what they offer you.”
Mr. Sawyer had implicit45 confidence in his old servant; still he could not help wishing to be further enlightened.
“You must have told some precious yarns,” said he, “to make people believe Marathon could run up with a man in mud-boots!”
“I never said a word!” answered Isaac; “people may believe their own eyes. Mr. Tiptop and I, we tried ’un this very morning again Chance; and though she’s the best in the town, we beat her by more than a length.”
“Marathon beat that mare46!” exclaimed Mr. Sawyer, now completely taken aback. “What do you mean?”
Old Isaac’s features were distorted once more into the mahogany grin.
“Well, if Marathon didn’t, Jack47 did,” said he quietly. “You couldn’t tell one from the other in their clothing when it’s dark, and the Dandy would win the Derby if it wasn’t over half-a-mile.”
It was too true: though the smart little nag never could stay a mile at a racing48 pace in his best days, he was as quick on his legs as a rabbit, and nothing could touch him, for five furlongs. Swaddled up in his clothes under the dubious49 twilight50 of a winter’s morning, Mr. Tiptop never suspected him, and went home with the conviction that Marathon, and none other, was the horse that had beaten his favourite.
Mr. Sawyer laughed to himself as he rode Jack very gingerly on to Barkby.
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1
subscribed
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| v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；签署，题词；订阅；同意 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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aphorism
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| n.格言，警语 | |
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nag
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| v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人 | |
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diplomacy
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| n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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hack
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| n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳 | |
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10
averse
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| adj.厌恶的；反对的，不乐意的 | |
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11
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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12
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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13
ruse
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| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
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14
dawdle
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| vi.浪费时间；闲荡 | |
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15
halfway
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| adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途 | |
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16
covert
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| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
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17
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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18
hacks
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| 黑客 | |
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19
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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21
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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22
deference
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| n.尊重，顺从；敬意 | |
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23
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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25
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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beguiling
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| adj.欺骗的，诱人的v.欺骗( beguile的现在分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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27
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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28
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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29
sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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30
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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31
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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32
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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33
poising
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| 使平衡( poise的现在分词 )； 保持（某种姿势）； 抓紧； 使稳定 | |
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34
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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35
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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36
languor
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| n.无精力，倦怠 | |
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loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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39
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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40
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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41
antagonist
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| n.敌人，对抗者，对手 | |
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42
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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43
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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44
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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45
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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46
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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47
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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48
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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49
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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50
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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