THE MODEL A UCTIONEER 47 



give my father, as well as anyone else, the commission 

 to buy for him ? I do not say it was politic on the part 

 of the seller to accept the office, but it was more in- 

 jurious to him than to the purchaser ; and if it had any 

 other result it was advantageous to the public to his 

 detriment, in having a depressing effect upon the re- 

 maining part of the sale. That the sale suffered through 

 the ungenerous imputation, I do not doubt. 



I may not agree with the truth of the assertion, 

 though it is as old as the hills, that auctioneers are paid 

 for saying things in the truth of which they do not 

 believe thus falsely describing matters and things en- 

 trusted to them for disposal as a matter of duty. But I 

 may ask, who ever heard of a piece of furniture, old and 

 useless, being described in any other way than as ' this 

 beautiful piece of antique furniture, strong and extremely 

 useful, which it seldom falls to the lot of any auctioneer 

 to have the honour of submitting for public competition '? 

 Was there ever a hack so old and infirm but has been 

 said to be ' well-seasoned and quiet '? And whenever 

 was a thorough-bred one sold that was not pronounced 

 by the astute auctioneer, before the fall of the hammer, 

 to be ' worth double what he was going for, as many 

 of the great races were entirely at his mercy, and at the 

 stud alone he would be worth considerably more than 

 the trifle he was offered at ' ? 



Gully's character was certainly blackened by one of 

 the gravest faults ingratitude to those who assisted 

 him when he could not assist himself. This blemish 

 was especially glaring in the case of his friend Mr. 

 Bidsdale, whom he insulted and horsewhipped in the 

 hunting-field. The incident is thus recorded by a con- 

 temporary : 



' The success with which Gully and Mr* Bidsdale met 



