



Produced by Matthew Wheaton, Suzanne Shell and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This
file was produced from images generously made available
by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)










FAST AS THE WIND




A NOVEL

By NAT GOULD

AUTHOR OF "The Rider in Khaki," Etc.


[Decoration]


A. L. BURT COMPANY




Publishers New York

Published by arrangement with Frederick A. Stokes Company




_Copyright, 1918, by_

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY


_All rights reserved_




CONTENTS


CHAPTER                                       PAGE

      I. THE BOOM OF A GUN                       1

     II. STORY OF AN ESCAPE                     10

    III. THE MAN ON THE ROAD                    20

     IV. THE WOMAN AT THE TABLE                 30

      V. PICTON'S WINNING MOUNTS                40

     VI. IN BRACK'S COTTAGE                     50

    VII. A CRITICAL MOMENT                      59

   VIII. ON BOARD THE "SEA-MEW"                 69

     IX. LENISE ELROY                           79

      X. HAVERTON                               88

     XI. TEARAWAY AND OTHERS                    97

    XII. "I THINK HE'S DEAD"                   106

   XIII. A WOMAN'S FEAR                        115

    XIV. NOT RECOGNISED                        124

     XV. "THE ST. LEGER'S IN YOUR POCKET"      132

    XVI. HOW HECTOR FOUGHT THE BLOODHOUND      140

   XVII. AN INTRODUCTION AT HURST PARK         149

  XVIII. CONSCIENCE TROUBLES                   158

    XIX. "WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"                  165

     XX. RITA SEES A RESEMBLANCE               174

    XXI. BRACK TURNS TRAVELER                  182

   XXII. DONCASTER                             191

  XXIII. THE CROWD IN THE RING                 200

   XXIV. "BY JOVE, SHE'S WONDERFUL"            208

    XXV. FAST AS THE WIND                      216

   XXVI. THE STRUGGLE FOR THE CUP              224

  XXVII. THE RESERVED COMPARTMENT              233

 XXVIII. HOW HECTOR HAD HIS REVENGE            241

   XXIX. AN ASTONISHING COMMUNICATION          250

    XXX. TEARAWAY'S PROGENY                    258




FAST AS THE WIND




CHAPTER I

THE BOOM OF A GUN


A small but splendidly built yacht steamed slowly into Torbay, passed
Brixham and Paignton, and came to anchor in the outer harbor at
Torquay. It was a glorious spring morning, early, and the sun shone on
the water with a myriad of dancing reflections; it bathed in light