He had started his canter to the wall when a shrieking white terrier shot out from the stand in pursuit of the distant hat, streaking across in front of the advancing Timber like a hard-kicked ball, and yelling its excitement as only a terrier can.
Timber swerved from this terror and broke into a sweat.
Ruth shut her eyes again and resorted to further prayer. Simon soothed Timber patiently, cantering him round and making much of him while someone retrieved the dog and brought it back to its owner. (Who said: "Poor darling Scottie, he might have been killed!") Patiently, while the unforgiving seconds ticked on, Simon worked to reassure Timber. He must know that time was running out, that the dog incident was now officially over and each additional second's delay piling up against him.
Brat had marvelled often at Simon's powers of self-control, but he had never seen a more remarkable sample of it. The temptation to take Timber to the jump as he was must be enormous. But Simon was taking no chances with Timber. He was pawning time to gain a little better odds for Timber.
And then, having apparently calculated his time to the nearest possible margin, he brought Timber, still sweating but collected, to the wall again. Just before he came to the fence Timber hesitated a little.
And Simon sat still.
If it had been possible for Brat to like Simon Ashby he would have liked him at that moment.
The horse, undistracted from the task in front of him, gathered himself together and catapulted himself over the hated obstacle. And then, relieved to have it behind him, he raced on delightedly to the water and rocketed across it like a blackbird.
Simon had done it.
Jane took her hand out of Bee's, and wiped her palms on a screwed-up ball of handkerchief.
Bee slipped her arm through Brat's and squeezed it.
The great burst of cheering made speech inaudible.
In the quiet that succeeded it Ruth said, as one remembering an awkward engagement: "Oh, dear! I've pawned my month's allowance."
"To whom?" asked her aunt.
"God," said Ruth.
26
Brat surveyed himself in the small cracked mirror of the Gent's Temporary Dressing-room and decided that primrose and violet did not become him any better than they became Simon. It would take Roger Clint's dark face to do justice to those springtime glories. Roger Clint would probably look dashing in them. He was in no mood to look favourably on Roger Clint. Whenever he had caught sight of Eleanor this afternoon it seemed that she was in the company of Mr. Clint, and what is more, seemed to be enjoying the company.
Brat tugged the yellow visor a little farther over his eyes. A sick misery burned in him; a spiritual heartburn.
"What's it got to do with you?" said a voice in him. "You're her brother: remember?"
"Shut up!"
"Can't have your cake and eat it, you know."
"Shut up!"
He walked out of the almost deserted dressing-room and went to find Chevron. The serious business of the day was over and there was an air of relaxation. In the shade of the trees competitors who had taken part in the sober events were now walking ponies and coffeehousing while they waited for the bending race. Alone for the moment, on a solid dun pony, was Peggy Gates, her eyes roving over the crowd in search of someone. She looked tired and discouraged. As Brat came level with her he paused and said:
"That was very bad luck."
"Oh, hullo, Mr. Ashby! What was?"
"The big drum."
"Oh, that!" she said, and smiled at him. "Oh, that was just one of those things."
She sounded quite philosophical about it, and yet Brat could have sworn that when he came up she had tears in her eyes.
"Good luck to the race," she said.
Brat thanked her and was moving away when she said: "Mr. Ashby, have I done anything to offend Simon, do you know?"
Brat said no, not that he knew.
"Oh. It's just that he seems to be avoiding me lately, and I'm not aware of having done anything-anything that he wouldn't — "
There were undoubted tears in her eyes now.
"Oh, you know," she said, tried a smile, didn't manage it very well, and moved away with a wave of her hand.
So it had not been a desire to be mistress of Latchetts that had moved pretty Peggy; it was devotion to Simon. Poor Peggy. Simon would never forgive her for Riding Light.
Eleanor was waiting under the trees on Buster, but stirrup to stirrup with her was Roger Clint, who had also found a pony for the bending race. Roger was pouring out a long story and Eleanor was nodding sympathetically; Brat gave them a wide berth and betook himself to the stables. In the stables he found Bee and Gregg. Gregg saw him weighed out and saddled Chevron, who was nervous and unhappy.
"It's the sound of the crowd that worries her," Gregg said. "Something she hears and can't understand. If I were you, Mr. Patrick, sir, I'd take her out and walk her. Take her out and show her the crowds and she'll be so interested she'll forget her nerves."
So Brat took the dithering chestnut out into the park, and she became gradually quieter, as Gregg had known she would. Presently Simon found him and suggested that it was time to be going down to the start.
"Did you remember to sign the book?" he asked.
"Book?" said Brat. "Sign for what?"
"To show that you consent to your horse running."
"I never heard of anyone signing a book. The horse was entered, wasn't it?"
"Yes, but in previous years they had trouble with gate-crashers. Some bright sparks who took out horses that didn't belong to them, when their owners didn't intend to run them. Had a free jaunt on them, and in at least one case broke the already tired horse down."
"All right. Where is the book?"
"In the weighing-room place. I'll look after Chevron till you come back. No need to take her into that melee."
In the little office, sitting behind the desk, was Colonel Smollett.
"Well, young Ashby, your family has been doing very well to-day, eh? Three firsts, no less. Are you going to add a fourth? Book? What book? Oh, the paper. Yes, yes. Here it is."
Brat, signing the single sheet of paper that was presented to him, said that he had never heard of this procedure.
"Probably not. Never heard of it myself. But it does insure the show against loss to a certain extent. That fellow whose horse was ridden unbeknownst to him last year, he sued the Show for damages. Very nearly got them, too. So your brother suggested this method of insurance."
"My brother? Simon suggested it?"
"Yes. Got a head on him, Simon. Now no one can say that his horse was pulled out without his permission."
"I see."
He went back and retrieved Chevron from Arthur's custody.
"Mr. Simon said he couldn't wait, Mr. Patrick, but he said to wish you luck. He's gone back to the stands with the rest of the family to watch the finish."
"All right, Arthur; thanks."
"Would you like me to come to the start with you, sir?"
"Oh, no, thanks."
"In that case, I'll go and see about getting myself a place to see from. Good luck, sir. We're betting on you."
And he hurried off through the crowd.
Brat put the reins over Chevron's head and was just about to mount when he thought that he would take one more look at the girth. He had already tightened it, but perhaps he had made it too tight.
But someone had loosened the girth.
Brat stood holding up the flap with his hand and stared. Someone had loosened it since he left the mare with Simon. He put his hand under the girth and tested its degree of slackness. He reckoned that it would have got him out of the park into the country and would have lasted perhaps another two fences. After that, the saddle would have slipped round on the highly excitable Chevron and she would have gone crazy.