CUPIDITY. 199 



ing my former position, or even of advanc- 

 ing from my present, was entirely precluded. 

 Nevertheless, neither envy nor despair en- 

 tered into my composition ; and the kind 

 feeling and urbanity of manner of the 

 majority of those with whose company I 

 was honoured, reconciled me to my fate. 

 Almost daily some , occurrence would 

 take place, or some conversation would 

 arise, that not only excited my curiosity, 

 and sometimes interested me, but would 

 call forth my surprise. It exhibited our 

 nature in all its phases, and furnished ex- 

 amples of cupidity in quarters I, in my 

 simplicity, should never have dreamt of, 

 but which, if I were to repeat, would 

 only cause my veracity to be doubted. I 

 mention this only as a proof of what I 

 stated in the early part of this book that 

 the sitting behind four good horses, and 

 the being permitted to hold the reins, often 

 induced a conversation of more than ordi- 

 nary interest and importance. 



