113 



I have already mentioned, a careful ^wz'wg down of 

 the legs, after the warmth of the night's rest has 

 swelled them up to the dimensions proper to dis- 

 ease. Nor is it unfrequently the case, that the 

 understrappers about a stable, especially if you 

 tip one of them half-a-crown in a quiet way, will 

 let you privately into the merits and demerits of 

 the whole stud, before they appear in full dress for 

 the day to the fashionable customer who strolls 

 in at three or four o'clock in the afternoon. I do 

 not commend, however, these underhand methods 

 of gaining information, though I know that they 

 are practised successfully. A gentleman must 

 sustain his character, even in treating with a dealer 

 whose honesty is questionable. 



