THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN, ETC. 77 



" He was taking the horse to be shod. Sir, and I 

 suppose he would not stand quiet in shoeing." 



Now there were two little circumstances that 

 made me suspicious of this explanation, independent- 

 ly of the scar not appearing to be quite so recent in 

 date. " Yesterday week" chanced to be on a Sun- 

 day ; so that there was little probability of the horse 

 having been at the blacksmith's to be shod, at the 

 time alleged ; and, about five minutes previously, I 

 had inquired of the ostler how long the horse in the 

 adjoining stall had been in the stables. " He came 

 from the country, from Reading fair, along with the 

 two next him, in the middle of last week." 



I had no object in irritating my friend, the dealer, 

 by telling him he lied : he knew that well enough, 

 but it would have " hurt his conscience to be found 

 out." I was put on my guard, and had the horse 

 led out a second time for examination, when I dis- 

 covered a blemish on each knee; so slight that it 

 had escaped my eye on my first inspection, but still 

 so unequivocal, that even the dealer's impudence 

 could not deny it. 



" That rascal of yours, Mr. Brown, must have 

 been a desperate fellow to maul the poor creature 

 over the knees as well as the head !" 



