44 . THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



"Really I have not the honor of knowing any- 

 thing about you." 



" Then who is Mr. H ?" 



The man had been tried for horse-chanting, it 

 came out, under the name of Hall ! 



As X Y Z are understood to represent the un- 

 known quantities in an equation, the substitution of 

 these convenient initials may save me from various 

 other vexatious innuendoes. 



To proceed with my narrative : — 



What could I do next? I employed a man to 

 buy one on commission : — he bought me three : the 

 first was broken-wanded ; the second reared, and left 

 me comfortably seated on the ground, providentially 

 falling himself on the other side; the other died 

 within a fortnight, of inflammation ; and at length I 

 began to discover that it was worth the scoundrel's 

 while to be paid a commission on the sale of an un- 

 sound horse, as well as on the purchase of a sound 

 one. 



I next availed myself of a farrier's kind advice. 

 But how could he do otherwise than hand over his 

 incurable patients to my care? A country farmer 

 tendered me his services ; he sent me two on trial ; 

 both kissed the cockney pavement in less than a 



