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roguery and humour contend for mastery in their 

 faces. The quick, yet wandering eye, the eleva- 

 tion of one angle of the mouth, not quite neu- 

 tralized by the depression of the other ; the half- 

 raised eyebrow, and shghtly protruding tongue, 

 well set off by a gentle inclination of the head to 

 catch a reluctant bidding, stamp the successful 

 horse auctioneer, so that you might recognize him 

 among ten thousand. Add a complexion half 

 bronzed by weather, but glowing with habitual 

 carousing, and the portrait is complete. Wine or 

 spirits will produce the jovial tint, according to the 

 caste of his daily customers. 



These I have already described ; I write only for 

 accidental buyers, and one instance will suffice to 

 put them on their guard. 



My compassion was much excited the other day 

 in witnessing the fate of a young tradesman, appa- 

 rently a tailor, who was anxiously examining every 

 horse, and bid for several without success. He 

 knew nothing about the matter, but he w^as come 

 '^to buy a horse," and a horse he would have. A 

 mare of some pretensions as to appearance, was 

 brought to the stand : it was, I think, the sixth or 

 seventh which took his fancy. She might be worth 

 ten pounds ; but, determined not to be forestalled 

 this time, he at once offered ten guineas, and set 



