What good would the money have
done him had he won it? What more could he have than he now
enjoyed? But to lose such a sum of money! With all his advantages
of wealth he felt himself to be as forlorn and wretched as though
he had nothing left in the world before him.
CHAPTER 44
How It was Done
The story was soon about the town, and was the one matter for
discussion in all racing quarters. About the town! It was about
England, about all Europe. It had travelled to America and the
Indies, to Australia and the Chinese cities before two hours were
over. Before the race was run the accident was discussed and
something like the truth surmised in Cairo, Calcutta, Melbourne,
and San Francisco. But at Doncaster it was so all-pervading a
matter that down to the tradesmen's daughters and the boys at the
free-school the town was divided into two parties, one party
believing it to have been a 'plant', and the other holding that
the cause had been natural. It is hardly necessary to say that the
ring, as a rule, belonged to the former party.
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