362 THE SELLER NEARLY DONE. 



done ; for he has got hold of Nickem, and Nickem of 

 him. Now, Nickeni is a bad bargain ; and it does not 

 seem likely he will make the best of him. Again, if 

 the horse is sold from home, no one knows for what 

 he was sold. This is really a consideration, and a great 

 one ; for though being conscious of our having done 

 a foolish thing, is bad enough, it is still worse that our 

 neighbours should be conscious of it also. So down 

 he sits, takes his pen, d s that (though on another 

 occasion he would have merely changed it), and then 

 tells Mr. Nickem " that though fifty pounds is a mise- 

 rable price for such a horse, as he has been so unlucky 

 to him, he had better take it at once to put an end to 

 further trouble." God help the man in his innocency ! 

 for there is a little further trouble in store for him 

 yet. By-the-bye, who keeps the key of this store ? I 

 do not know ; certainly no one with any parliamentary 

 interest, for by Jove, serving out troubles to the world 

 is no sinecure. 



It may now be reasonably supposed that Nickem, 

 having got the horse to fifty, would be disposed, nay 

 content, to have him : not he ; have him he will, but 

 why give fifty even, if forty will do ! u Ridiculous ! " 

 some people may say : " is it to be supposed a man is 

 to be further gulled, and that, thinking fifty pounds a 

 miserable price, he will take ten pounds less ?" Yes, 

 he will, and probably solicit Nickem to take him at 

 that ; and we shall soon see one of the ways by which 

 he will be made to do so. 



Reader ; did you ever hear of " manufacturing a 

 corn ? " Probably not ; but I have, and I dare say 

 should have had the thing tried with me, if I had not 

 always perfectly well known whether any horse of 



