ill eight. The others were not there before half-past
seven, and it was nearly eight before any of them sat down. At
half-past eight Silverbridge began to be very anxious about his
brother, and told him that he ought to start without further delay. A
hansom cab was waiting at the door, but Lord Gerald still delayed. He
knew, he said, that the special would not start till half-past nine.
There were a lot of fellows who were dining about everywhere, and
they would never get to the station by the hour fixed. It became
apparent to the elder brother that Gerald would stay altogether
unless he were forced to go, and at last he did get up and pushed the
young fellow out. "Drive like the very devil," he said to the cabman,
explaining to him something of the circumstances. The cabman did do
his best, but a cab cannot be made to travel from the Beargarden,
which as all the world knows is close to St. James's Street, to
Liverpool Street in the City in ten minutes. When Lord Gerald reached
the station the train had started.

At twenty minutes to ten the young man reappeared at the club.
"Why on earth didn't you take a special for yourself?" exclaimed
Silverbridge.

"They wouldn't give me one." After that it was apparent to all of
them that what had just happened had done more to ruffle our hero's
temper than his failure and loss at the races.

"I wouldn't have had it happen for any money you could name," said
the elder brother to the younger, as he took him home to Carlton
Terrace.

"If they do send me down, what's the odds?" said the younger brother,
who was not quite as sober as he might have been.

"After what happened to me it will almost break the governor's
heart," said the heir.

CHAPTER XVIII

One of the Results of the Derby

On the following morning at about eleven Silverbridge and his brother
were at breakfast at an hotel in Jermyn Street. They had slept in
Carlton Terrace, but Lord Gerald had done so without the knowledge of
the Duke. Lord Silverbridge, as he was putting himself to bed, had
made up his mind to tell the story to the Duke at once, but when the
morning came his courage failed him. The two young men therefore
slunk out of the house, and as there was no breakfasting at the
Beargarden they went to this hotel. They were both rather gloomy, but
the elder brother was the more sad of the two. "I'd give anything I
have in the world," he said, "that you hadn't come up at all."

"Things have been