328 " THEREBY HANGS A TAIL/' 



him to a ride, and his hunter is led on. He does not 

 come on as Captain Koss's Clinker would have done, 

 sneaking along as if he was ashamed of himself : no, 

 you hear " Chevy's " hunter coming ; and when he 

 does come, there's fire for you ! If the Noble Marquis 

 I have mentioned should happen to be present, he 

 would see no common brown horse with a scanty tail 

 like Old Harlequin ; no ; here is a beautiful piebald, 

 with a tail large enough (when short ones were the go 

 in the Market Harborough country) to have tailed a 

 whole field. Of the tailing there would be little 

 doubt if " Chevy " was there. But I can go no further ; 

 the hunter produced is a choker for me, a regular 

 stopper ; so we will return to the horses advertised. 



If we were endued with the curiosity some folks 

 possess, instead of going to the stables, we should go 

 to the house door and make some inquiries ; but this 

 would be as injudicious in our case as going behind 

 the scenes would be at new pantomimes : it would 

 dispel the illusion at once ; for there we should pro- 

 bably be told the family were out of town, but that 

 the stables were let for a month to Captain, Major, or 

 perhaps Colonel Somebody, and that the pro temp. 

 Charge-d 1 Affaires at the house knew nothing of any 

 horses advertised for sale. This proceeding would be 

 well enough if we merely wished to learn if the adver- 

 tisement was genuine ; but as we are satisfied on 

 that point, and merely go to see how the thing is 

 done, it would be unnecessary. It may be asked 

 whether the advertisers have no fear that such in- 

 quiries may be made? In one sense they do fear it; 



another not at all : they fear it, as those who do 

 inquire will not become their victims, but from no 

 other cause, for few persons would think it worth their 



