UNITY IS STRENGTH. 203 



thing to bear. A master, if he is a man in high life, 

 cannot be constantly overlooking his stables or 

 servants; and if he finds every horse he buys of a 

 particular dealer turns out badly (though he may 

 suspect there is some roguery in the case), he has no 

 resource but to go to another, which most men in 

 high life would do rather than take the trouble of 

 investigation. It is this desire to avoid trouble that 

 chiefly leaves people of fashion so completely at the 

 mercy of their servants as they are ; and, let them 

 flatter themselves as they will, they are much more 

 under their dominion than they suppose. This is 

 one great reason why the man of 60,000/. a-year 

 pays one price for every article that goes into the 

 house or stable, and the man of 1000^. a-year an- 

 other. Tradesmen who charge exorbitantly can pay 

 servants exorbitantly; and they in most cases con- 

 trive that a man of fortune shall deal with none 

 other. There is one invisible machinery in all very 

 large establishments worked by the servants for 

 their own peculiar benefit ; in the working of which, 

 from the highest to the lowest, they will join ; and till 

 this is put a stop to, people in high life must be con- 

 tent to be pillaged. To stop this would require a 

 good deal of trouble and resolution. 



One instance where it was done in the establish- 

 ment of a nobleman of very high rank came under 

 my immediate observation, and this probably never 

 would have been done but from the following circum- 

 stance, for the perfect truth of which I can vouch. 



Lord A. had been in the habit of permitting his body- 

 coachman to purchase all the forage required for the 

 stables in London of whom he pleased. A relative of a 

 particular friend of his Lordship purchased an estate 



