ABOUT BUYING A HORSE. 6i 



Not that the Groom's eye expresses anything except 

 squinting ; but his mouth does, and he's evidently enjoying 

 Ckimber. 



I seem to hear the Squinting Groom murmuring to him- 

 self, " Lor, ain't Master a wunner at gammonin' a gent into 

 buying a 'oss as he knows nothin' at all about." 



" She's better than a thoroughbred, she is," says Clumber, 

 who is warming with his subject, and is clearly not going to 

 stick at a trifle. " For my part, and I know something of 

 horses, I wouldn't have a thoroughbred at a gift. Now 

 there ! " he adds quite defiantly, as if again detecting me in 

 the act of making another objection, " I wouldn't ! No, 

 not if a thoroughbred was Coffered to me, I wouldn't." 



Clumber throws in an occasional aspirate with consider- 

 able effect. 



He expects some observation from me. So I say, as it 

 surprised at what he has told me, and as if it were quite the 

 last thing I should have expected of him, " No, indeed ? 

 Wouldn't you, really ? " 



" No, I wouldn't," he repeats, emphatically, and then, as if 

 afraid- of a digression interfering with present business, he 

 resumes his theme. " But here's a horse as is a credit to a 

 gentleman. She'd just do for you. A thorough gentleman's 

 horse, she is ; that's what she is ; a thorough gentleman's 

 horse." 



He has evidently hit upon the right phrase at last, for he 

 repeats over and over again that she is " a thorough gentle- 

 man's horse, that's what she is," and evidently means to 

 stereotype this happy expression for future use. He can't 



