Abigel Rowe - 1883 Author:Lewis Wingfield Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE VICTOR RETURNS IN TRIUMPH. As he sped northward, Mr. Cyrus Smalley had ample time to reflect upon what had happened. How guileless he had ... more »been to fall straight into my lord's trap ; and how my lord must have laughed in his sleeve to see how he gobbled the bait and splashed away down stream, unconscious of the hook in his gills ! And yet, who but those who were base themselves could have suspected such turpitude ? But through being too cunning, he had overreached himself. Of course, Cy ruminated, the proposal of the tenants to pay double rent had been reported, and my lord, having inquired into what was passing in the north, had perceived the desirability of separating the chief conspirators. He had calculated, no doubt, that the Sprig would be beaten; that he would then, to clear a tarnished reputation, humbly return to a statu-s jmpillari, and would thus be too much occupied to make mischief in Yorkshire. Lured into the vortex of encouragement and flattery, he would be unable andunwilling to renounce prospective honours. My lord trusted to the Corinthians to keep his fish in play. It was deftly imagined, and the result might have been as the schemer hoped—if Cy had not proved victor. There was where my lord made his mistake. He made a grievous blunder, too, in openly siding with Caleb; for if the Sprig had been under the patronage of the President of the Pugilistic Club, Beaufort, Worcester, and Sefton would not have taken him under their immediate protection. With such powerful protectors he was secure from foul play. My lord's undisguised fury had a bad effect with the elite. " Vere's certainly going to the dogs," his Grace of Beaufort observed musingly to my lord Worcester, as they rolled back to town. " Noblesse oblige. If we lose our money, we shoul...« less