PURCHASING HOESES. 81 



as he complimented Mr. Verdant by his pretending 

 to think him, nothing doubtful was likely to arise in 

 that time to cause suspicion on the part of his cus- 

 tomer, particularly such a customer as Mr. Verdant. 



The seller's fairness, nay (as Mr. Verdant thought 

 it) kindness of conduct, in insisting on his ridinp: 

 the horse, lest he might get what he should not find 

 pleasant when in his 'possession, was such that he 

 thought the world illiberal as to the opinion often 

 entertained of horsedealers, and would have thought 

 them particularly so if entertained in the case of the 

 seller of the grey horse. *' To be sure," thought Mr. 

 Verdant, *' there is one thing to be said, he has no 

 interest in deceiving me ; he is only employed or 

 authorised to sell the horse for the lady.'* Mr. Ver- 

 dant did not seem for a moment to entertain the idea 

 that the lady only existed in the seller's brain, and 

 neither did exist nor ever had existed anywhere else. 

 A little reflection would have convinced Mr. Ver- 

 dant, if he was to be convinced by reason, that a lady, 

 in the habit of taking horse exercise, must have had 

 a groom to attend her; also, in most cases, an estabhsh- 



