The Merry Past 



so much per day. When he wanted to ride he always 

 took a very accurate account of the number of hours 

 he had him out, the time of his going and returning, 

 and when he took the horse away finally, he desired 

 the man to bring in his bill. On perusing it he flew 

 into a great passion, asking the man, did he mean to 

 be a robber, to plunder and cheat him of his money ? 

 The stable-keeper desired him to count the number 

 of days since the horse had been taken in. " Horse 

 taken in ! No, it is me that you want to take in. 

 Had I not my horse eight hours out of your field on 

 Thursday ? Well, sir, and did I not ride him to 

 Epsom next day, and had him eleven hours ? That 

 is nineteen hours. Then, sir, five hours and a half 

 on Saturday. There, sir, there is two days and half 

 an hour, that you want to cheat me of. And have 

 you the conscience, you swindling rogue, to make me 

 pay for my horse's eating your grass, when he has 

 been miles and miles away from it ? " 



" Sir, I have not only the conscience to expect 

 payment of my full bill, but shall make you pay 

 a little more for calling me a cheat and a rogue.'' 

 Mr. Cooke, who was afraid of nothing so much as 

 the law, very prudently made an apology, and paid 

 the full amount of his bill, glad to have escaped any 

 further expense. 



Cooke, in spite of his intense parsimony, was not 

 such an unpleasant character as the old miser who 

 lived near Doncaster, and went to a great land sale 

 in his filthy rags with a band of hay round his waist, 

 in order to bid for a large estate. After having made 



250 



