Allen had attempted to persuade the Court that the prime cause of the
accident was simply this, that poor Mr. Barradine's saddle was made by
a London firm instead of by him--Allen. He pooh-poohed the
stud-groom's statement that Mr. Barradine had an ineradicable
objection to patent detachable stirrups, and maintained that he would
have been able, in five minutes' quiet conversation, to prevail on the
deceased gentleman to adopt a certain device which was known to Allen
but to nobody else in the trade; and then he attempted to read a
written paper in which he advocated the superiority to the modern
plain flap of the ancient padded knee-roll as a means of rendering the
seat more secure for forehand stumbles.
"It was laughable--but for the occasion--to hear him spouting out his
nonsense, until Doctor Hollis told him straight he wouldn't put up
with it any longer."
Dale gave this account of the proceedings to Mavis and to Mr. Ridgett,
who had come up to take high tea on the eve of his departure just as
he had done on the day of his arrival.
"But I admit," said Dale, conscientiously, "there was one bit of sense
in Allen's remarks. He convinced me against trusting to these blood
animals. They're too _quick_, and they're never _sure_.
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