A CHEAP LESSON. 217 



not ineet the gentleman's views and wishes, he is 

 quite in his way ; in fact, useless to him. It cannot 

 turn out so with the dealer : he has got a young, 

 sound, blooming, selling-looking horse, which is enough 

 for him, be his imperfections in other particulars what 

 they may (at least to a certain extent) ; if he does not 

 suit one customer he will another, and thus he is sure 

 to sell him to some one : whereas the gentleman, in 

 getting what does not suit him, may think himself 

 well off if he gets rid of him at 161. or 201. loss. We 

 will say he is fortunate enough to buy only two before 

 he gets a third that does suit, and loses the lowest 

 sum, 15/., by each. He had originally given 100/., 

 and loses 30/. by the two, besides expenses. How 

 much richer is he than if he had gone to the dealer 

 and given him 130/. for one that he (the dealer) had 

 bought for 100/. ? It strikes me, not much, except in 

 one respect, and that is in experience which, by 

 the by, if he afterwards makes use of it, is really 

 cheap at the 30. 



I have merely supposed the private gentleman goes 

 twice to a fair, and gets two horses that do not suit 

 him on trial, and have concluded that on his third 

 attempt he has succeeded. To show that I am very 

 much below the mark in the odds I have given against 

 him, we will suppose that he had gone to a dealer's 

 yard and was shown forty or fifty horses: out of 

 these he sees nine or ten that, in point of size, price, 

 and figure, appear to be likely to answer his purpose. 

 Now, if he would at first tell the dealer the particular 

 qualification he requires in the horse he wishes to 

 buy, he would save himself, the dealer, and his ser- 

 vants, a great deal of trouble. He would in that 

 case be put on two or three out of the ten that hap- 



