32 DRIVING AS I FOUND IT. 



buying and selling horses lie has taken the first step 

 toward degradation. He possibly at first, indeed mogt 

 probably, had no further view than in an honorable 

 way availing himself of his superior judgment and 

 taste. He is "unfortunate" enough to sell three or 

 four horses to advantage. This gives him encourage- 

 ment and probably for the first time in his life he feels 

 the pleasure of making money in a peculiar and in- 

 teresting maimer, and he continues to speculate with 

 success. Hitherto he has done nothing wrong. His 

 horses have all turned out as he represented them. 

 He now, however, happens unfortunately to get a 

 horse not quite what he should be. AVhat is he to do 

 with him? Is he to sell him at a loss? A very short 

 time ago he would have done so, but now the itch 

 for makiQg money has taken too firm a hold upon him. 

 He enters into a kind of compromise with his conscience 

 and the horse has really perhaps nothing material tlie 

 matter with him. He avails himself of his position in 

 society and sells him on his word, as a perfectly sound 

 horse. If he proves otherwise he does not allow he 

 has been guilty of of a deception, but places his word 

 of honor that he was sound when he sold him. This 

 closes the transaction. Having thus escaped with 

 impunity, instead of taking it as a salutary warning of 

 the dangers of such transactions and haviug once been 



