Cirrus@Austlit

Satirical tale of an heiress, orphaned daughter of a jockey father who had brought her up to be sporty, and full of manly horsiness on the outside though still refined and pure on the inside. She smokes, bets on horses, wears loud clothes, lives alone and rescues male visitors - though never causes scandal. A retired army officer and apparent gentleman is her favoured suitor until a radical Welsh MP begins to court her. She feigns indifference outwardly until he reveals the major's plans to cheat her over a racing bet, proposes after revealing himself the unwilling owner of the horse in question which he allowed to race so she might win. He loses his non-conformist anti-betting Welsh seat but gains another in England "not hampered by any fostering fads" and his sporty wife is popular. (PB)