Fortunately, Lady Mary caught sight of him without
being seen, and at once gave orders that he was to be turned off
the premises, and never allowed to come near them again. He was
known, however, to be in this neighbourhood up to dusk on the
following evening, but he has never been seen since Highland
Lassie disappeared. You know now, perhaps, why I have elected to
conduct everything connected with this affair with the utmost
secrecy. Little as we desire to be in any way associated with
such a man, we cannot but remember that he is connected with us
by ties of blood, and unless Farrow dies of his injuries--which God
forbid! we will hush the thing up, cost what it may. All that I
want is to get the animal back--not to punish the man: if, indeed,
he be the guilty party; for there is really no actual proof of that.
But if Dawson-Blake knew, it would be different. He would move
heaven and earth to get the convict's 'broad arrow' on him and to
bring disgrace upon everybody connected with the man."

"H'm, I see!" said Cleek, puckering up his brows and thoughtfully
stroking his chin. "So that, naturally, there is--with this added to
the rivalry of the two horses--no very good blood existing between
Sir Gregory Dawson-Blake and yourself?"

"No, there is not. If, apart from these things, Mr. Cleek, you want
my private opinion of the man, it can be summed up in the word
'Bounder.' There is not one instinct of the gentleman about him.
He is simply a vulgar, money-gilded, low-minded cad, and I wouldn't
put it beyond him to be mixed up in this disappearance of the filly
himself but that I know Chadwick was about the place; and for there
to be anything between Chadwick and him is as impossible as it is for
the two poles to come together, or for oil to assimilate with water.
That is the one thing in this world that Dawson-Blake would not
do under any circumstances whatsoever. Beyond that, I put nothing
beneath the man--nothing too despicable for him to attempt in the
effort to gain his own end and aim. He races not for the sport of
the thing, but for the publicity, the glory of getting talked
about, and of making the vulgar stare. He wants the blue ribbon of
the turf for the simple fame of the thing; and he'd _buy_ it if
buying it were possible, and either bribes or trickery could carry
off the race."

"H'm! That's a sweeping assertion, Major."

"But made upon a basis of absolute fact, Mr. Cleek. He has twice
endeavoured to buy