250 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER 



dat ? " " Yes," I said, " you do ; " and, thinks I to 

 myself, Madame will hear it too occasionally if she 

 rides him. Monsieur assured me he had no idea of 

 the horse being so when he bought him. I freely 

 expressed my conviction that this was correct. Vat 

 vas he to do ? " Ce n'estpas mon affaire cela," said I. 



' Doubtless my reader has seen two Frenchmen in 

 a passion ; but to see two most passionate ones in a 

 regular white-heat rage is really a treat. Now, says 

 I, for the coup-de-theatre. I reminded Monsieur of 

 the broken-knee decision ; he recognised me in a 

 moment. " Now, Monsieur," says I, " what have 

 you got to say ? You wanted un beau cheval you 

 have him; you wanted a docile one you have that 

 also; I said nothing about his being sound: you 

 have no fault to find with me." " Mais mille 

 tonnerres ! I no vant de horse broke in de vind, dat 

 go puff, puff, all de day long." " C'est possible," says 

 I, " mais cela m'est parfaitement indifferent. You 

 trusted to your friend's judgment." " Bote my friend 

 have no judgment for de horse." " II faut, Mon- 

 sieur," said I, making my bow, " qu'il I'apprenne 

 done."' 1 



When one horse-dealer deliberately lays himself 

 out to get the better of another in a bargain there 

 is sometimes fun for the spectators ; as a rule the 

 horse-dealer's tongue is quite as quick and sharp as 



1 Harry Hieover Stable Talk and Table Talk. 



