162 THE ADVENTURES OF A GENTLEMAN 



offered to go there, and proposed that we should 

 drive to the shop. " It was a long way off, on the 

 other side of the water." I replied, that my time 

 was of no consequence ; for, whenever I perceive 

 hesitation, I always feel distrust. " It was taken to 

 pieces to be fresh painted." In short, I found that 

 the chaise was not to be seen ; and therefore, see it I 

 would. When we returned to the stables, I took an 

 opportunity of saying privately to the ostler, that I 

 thought the horse had been over-weighted, and I 

 wished to compare his owner's stanhope with mine. 

 "When would it be at home?" He could not 

 tell, but at once referred me to the coachmaker's : 

 this was all I wanted. I proceeded there without 

 delay, and anticipated his customer by only ten mi- 

 nutes ; this was enough however, to apprise myself 

 by ocular inspection, that the dashing iron had been 

 kicked away, only the week before, by the horse 

 warranted " safe in harness !" About a month after, 

 not having yet found what I wanted, I read an adver- 

 tisement in the paper, of " a horse, stanhope, and 

 " harness, to be sold together. The stanhope al- 

 " most new, and very recently from the coachma- 

 " ker's shop : the horse possessing the grandest 



