money where he clerked in the bank. There had
been great unison in the Porter household over the placing of Alan. In
addition to horse lore, John Porter was a fair judge of human nature,
and, beyond doubt, there was a streak of velvet in Alan which would have
twisted easily in the compressive grip of the race course.

The Porter family were not the only dwellers of Brookfield who took
part in racing. Philip Crane, the banker, wandering from the respectable
highway of finance, had allowed himself to become interested in race
horses. But this fact was all but unknown in Brookfield, so the full
resentment of the place was effusively tendered to John Porter.

In his younger days some money had come to Philip Crane. The gambler
spirit, that was his of inheritance, had an instinctive truth as
allied to finance; but, unfortunately for Philip Crane, chance and a
speculative restlessness led him amongst men who commenced with the
sport of kings. With acute precipitancy he was separated from the
currency that had come to him. The process was so rapid that his racing
experience was of little avail as an asset, so he committed the first
great wise act of his life-turned his back upon the race course and
marched into finance, so strongly, so persistently, that at forty he was
wealthy and the banker of Brookfield.

Twenty years of deliberate reminiscence convinced him that he could
gratify the desire that had been his in those immature days, and
possibly work out a paying revenge. Thus it was that he had got together
a small stable of useful horses; and, of far greater moment, secured a
clever trainer, Dick Langdon.

Crane's latter-day racing had been successful--he made money at it.
No man was ever more naturally endowed to succeed on the turf than was
Banker Philip Crane. Cold, passionless, more given to deep concentrated
thought than expression, holding silence as a golden gift--even as a
gift of rare rubies--nothing drew from him an unguarded word, no sudden
turmoil quivered his nerve. It was characteristic of the man that he had
waited nearly twenty years to resume racing, which really came as near
to being a passion with him as was possible for anything to be. There is
a saying in England that it takes two years of preparation to win a
big handicap; and these were the lines upon which Philip Crane, by
instinctive adaptation, worked.

Quite by chance Dick Langdon had come into his hands over a matter of
borrowed money. It