ABOUT BUYING A HORSE. 55 



to see me, with a pen behind his ear and an order-book in 

 his hand, the idea occurs to me that he represents a sort of 

 out-of-door grocer who's had a successful bet on the Derby. 

 A vague description, but if you can imagine somebody, in 

 the above-mentioned costume, ready at any moment to give 

 you long odds, against anything, in currants or preserved 

 ginger, and book it at once, there's Spoker down to the 

 ground : I mean, in appearance. 



Happy 77/^;/cr^-/.— Riddle for Spoker ', to put him in a 

 good humour. Where ought a wheelwright to live.'' Answer; 

 in the wheel-Iage. 



It doesn't put him in a good humour, as he can't or won't 

 understand it : and clearly thinks I'm laughing at him. I 

 explain that I mean Village. He is evidently still of opinion 

 that I'm only trying to get out of it, after deeply wounding 

 his feelings. I must try and restore his temper by hinting 

 that I shall soon be in want of a large carriage. At this he 

 brightens up. I go, largely, into the subject of coaches and 

 carriages, and I feel I've made Spoker happy for the rest 

 of the day. I can imagine the way in which he'll rub his 

 hands when he goes in to dinner (all the little Spokers round 

 the table, and Mrs. Spoker at the head), and say, " Ah ! I 

 think I'm in for a good thing now. Mr. So-and-So wants 

 two or three new carriages, and has come to me to ask 

 about them. Thank you, my dear, yes, / will take a little 

 of that beef, it looks capital." 



Spoker strongly recommends Clumber's horse, in fact, if 

 Spoker himself were in want of such a thing, Clumber's is 



