put it so. Why then you
get your wages when you take his arm and call him Silverbridge."

"I don't want wages from any man," said the indignant Major.

"That comes from not knowing what wages is. I do want wages. If I
do a thing I like to be paid for it. You are paid for it after one
fashion, I prefer the other."

"Do you mean he should give me--a salary?"

"I'd have it out of him some way. What's the good of young chaps of
that sort if they aren't made to pay? You've got this young swell in
tow. He's going to be about the richest man in England;--and what the
deuce better are you for it?" Tifto sat meditating, thinking of the
wisdom which was being spoken. The same ideas had occurred to him.
The happy chance which had made him intimate with Lord Silverbridge
had not yet enriched him. "What is the good of chaps of that sort if
they are not made to pay?" The words were wise words. But yet how
glorious he had been when he was elected at the Beargarden, and had
entered the club as the special friend of the heir of the Duke of
Omnium.

After a short pause, Captain Green pursued his discourse. "You said
salary."

"I did mention the word."

"Salary and wages is one. A salary is a nice thing if it's paid
regular. I had a salary once myself for looking after a stud of
'orses at Newmarket, only the gentleman broke up and it never went
very far."

"Was that Marley Bullock?"

"Yes; that was Marley Bullock. He's abroad somewhere now with nothing
a year paid quarterly to live on. I think he does a little at cards.
He'd had a good bit of money once, but most of it was gone when he
came my way."

"You didn't make by him?"

"I didn't lose nothing. I didn't have a lot of 'orses under me
without getting something out of it."

"What am I to do?" asked Tifto. "I can sell him a horse now and
again. But if I give him anything good there isn't much to come out
of that."

"Very little I should say. Don't he put his money on his 'orses?"

"Not very free. I think he's coming out freer now."

"What did he stand to win on the Derby?"

"A thousand or two perhaps."

"There may be something got handsome out of that," said the Captain,
not venturing to allow his voice to rise above a whisper. Major Tifto
looked hard at him but said nothing. "Of course you must see your
way."

"I don't quite understand."

"Race 'orses are expensive animals,--and races generally is
expensive."

"That's true."

"When so much is dropped, so