Mrs. Prothero, that your husband has a good chance of winning the race
for Arabs; I intend to wager several pairs of gloves on his horse."

"Yes, Seila is very fast. She won last year. But Nana Sahib has had the
horse that won the cup at Poona last year, and is considered one of the
fastest in India, brought across from Bombay. Our only hope is that he
will put a native up, and in that case we ought to have a fair chance,
for the natives have no idea of riding a waiting race, but go off at
full speed, and take it all out of their horse before the end of the
race."

"Well, we must hope he will, Mrs. Prothero; that seems, from what I
hear, the only chance there is of the regiment winning a prize. So all
our sympathies will be with you."

"Hunter and his wife and their two girls are coming," the Major said,
the next morning, as he opened his letters.

"Very well, uncle, then we will do as we arranged. The Miss Hunters
shall have my room, and I will take the little passage room."

"I am afraid it will put you out, Isobel; but they have been here for
the last two years at the race times and I did not like not asking them
again."

"Of course, uncle. It will make no difference to me, and I don't require
any very great space to apparel myself."

"We must have dinners for twelve at least, the day before the races, and
on the three days of the meeting."

Isobel looked alarmed. "I hope you don't rely on me for the
arrangements, uncle. At each of the four dinners we have been to I have
done nothing but wonder how it was all done, and have been trembling
over the thought that it would be our turn presently. It seemed a
fearful responsibility; and four, one after the other, is an appalling
prospect."

"Rumzan will see to it all, my dear. He has always managed very well
before. I will talk it over with him; besides, these will not be like
regular set dinner parties. At race meetings everyone keeps pretty
nearly open house. One does not ask any of the people at the station;
they have all their own visitors. One trusts to chance to fill up the
table, and one never finds any difficulty about it. It is lucky I got up
a regular stock of china, and so on, in anticipation of your coming.
Of course, as a bachelor, I have not been a dinner giver, except on
occasions like this, when nobody expects anything like state, and things
are conducted to a certain extent in picnic fashion. I have paid off my
dinner obligations by having men t