238 BYE PLAY. 



can effect, or to which he is capable of being brought : 

 the stable he stands in so constructed as to set him 

 off to the best advantage ; even his quarter-cloth is 

 put on to show his shape with the most effect; 

 his head-collar is made so as to give a light and pleas- 

 ing appearance to his head ; not a hair in his tail or 

 mane is permitted to lie the wrong way ; his very 

 shoes are shaped to give his foot the very best form ; 

 when brought out, he is not permitted to stand for 

 a moment in a disadvantageous position. If he is 

 a fine horse, in order to show how little is required 

 to show him off, you may hear the dealer say to 

 his man, " Let him stand where he likes, Jem ; it don't 

 matter how he stands," laying a strong emphasis on 

 the he ; but depend upon it the dealer knows perfectly 

 well when he says this that he is standing on one of the 

 most advantageous spots in the yard ; and not taking 

 him to the general show-place has its effect on the 

 purchaser's mind : it does not look dealer-like, and has 

 an air of carelessness about it, as much as to say, you 

 may buy him or not as you like. We will suppose 

 the customer wishes to ride the horse himself on trial : 

 a private servant would probably call for a saddle, 

 and put it on the horse's back as he stands: the 

 dealer's man knows his business better ; he knows 

 that horses never look to advantage during the ope- 

 ration of being saddled, but on the contrary set up 

 their backs, swell against the girths, and put them- 

 selves in unseemly positions. To avoid all this, the 

 horse is taken into the stable, and there saddled, care 

 of course being taken that the saddle is put on so as to 

 set his shoulder off to the best advantage. While the 

 ceremony of combing and water-brushing his mane and 

 tail is gone through, he has had time to set down his 



