"THE TABLET'S A TALL MAN FORE HEAVEN." 237 



weeks before he could get his price, notwithstanding 

 his extensive connexion and knowledge of his trade : 

 the least then the Gentleman can do is to use the 

 same patience, take the same time, and adopt the 

 same means in endeavouring to find a purchaser. 

 This, however, he will not do, nor could he if he 

 would : he must therefore make a severe sacrifice, un- 

 less he is fortunate enough to find the same kind of 

 person my friend was for many months in search of 

 when wishing to sell the horse of brick- wall notoriety. 

 After all, however, is said, and the sacrifice made, 

 there is no great cause of complaint, provided he has 

 been gratified by the temporary possession of what he 

 only bought for temporary gratification. He might 

 with as much reason complain, after eating a pine 

 that cost him 145. It is true a pear would have 

 slaked his thirst just as well, but he did not think so : 

 at the time, the pine he fancied, and the pine he would 

 have; the pear was too common for his aristocratic 

 mouth, though he might, like My Lord Huntingtower, 

 have eaten a dozen of the latter for half the price of 

 the former. There is a great satisfaction in serving- 

 such customers, and it is really cruel in them to 

 damp that satisfaction by even hinting at the price 

 they have paid. 



I have often lamented when a boy that the knife I 

 had bought, never, after three days, looked the same 

 as it appeared in the cutler's shop : people will gene- 

 rally find this hold equally with a horse bought out 

 of a dealer's hands : he there looks as he probably will 

 never look again while in their possession; at least, 

 this is the case with the generality of horses. They 

 there see a horse brought to the highest state of per- 

 fection in point of appearance that human ingenuity 



