lf at the other end of it,
why--here you are!"

Speaking, he walked across to the box where the brown filly was
tethered, unbolted it, unfastened the animal and led her out.

"Here you are, Major," he said, as he tendered him the halter. "Take
hold of her, the beauty; and may she carry off the Derby Stakes with
flying colours."

"But, good lud, man, what on earth are you talking about? This is
Chocolate Maid--this is Lady Mary's horse."

"Oh, no, Major, oh, no! Chocolate Maid is in the stable at Farrow's
cottage--hidden away and half starved, poor creature, because he
couldn't go back to feed and look after her. This is your bonny
Highland Lassie--dyed to look like the other and to throw possible
horse nobblers and thieves off the scent. If you doubt it, look here."

He uncorked the bottle, poured some of the Spirit of Wine on the
sponge and rubbed the animal's brown flank. The dark colour came
away, the sorrel hide and the white splotch began to appear, and
before you could say Jack Robinson, the major and Lady Mary had
their arms about the animal's neck and were blubbing like a couple of
children.

"Oh, my bully girl! Oh, my spiffing girl! Oh, Mary, isn't it
clinking, dear? The Lassie--the Highland Lassie--her own bonny self."

"Yes, her own bonny self, Major," said Cleek "and you'd never have
had a moment's worry over her if that faithful fellow upstairs had
been suffered to get back here that night and to tell you about it in
the morning. I've had a little talk with--oh, well, somebody who is
in a position to give me information that corroborates my own
little 'shots' at the matter (I'll tell you all about that later
on), and so am able to tell you a thing or two that you ought to
have known before this! I don't know whether Lieutenant Chadwick's
coming here and prying about had any wish to do harm to the horse at
the back of it or not. I only know that Farrow thought it had,
and he played this little trick to block the game and to throw dust
into the eyes of anybody that attempted to get at her. What he did
then was to dye her so that she might be mistaken for Chocolate
Maid, then to take Chocolate Maid over to his own stable and hide
her there until the time came to start for Epsom. That's what he
wanted the pail of water for, Major--to mix the dye and to apply
it. I half suspected it from the beginning, but I became sure of it
when I found that scrap of paper in the bedding of the box. It
was still wet-