PURCHASING HORSES. 89 



" The day after he received the money for the 

 horse, he went off to a fair in Belgium, intending to 

 buy some horses ; he knew a few days would make- 

 no diflference to my friend, and that he would not 

 mind his using the money. He fell in with some 

 gamblers who had regularly cleaned him out ; he 

 hoped to make some money soon, when my friend might 

 depend on it he would make it *all right' with him." 



Of course, not one word of this tale was true ; and 

 it ended in my friend being tired of asking for his 

 money, so he ceased to do so. The fellow no doubt 

 guessed how it would be, and after a time used merely 

 to 'touch his hat when they met, as if the affair was 

 settled ; and so it was, and so it ended. 



Thus, though the supposed Mr. Verdant's case was 

 a bad one, there are few things in life so bad, but 

 they may be worse, the real anecdote of my friend 

 proving it. Mr. Verdant had not shown any absolute 

 want of sense — he had merely shown a want of know- 

 ledge of the world, of men, and particularly of the 

 class of men of whom the vendor of the grey horse 

 was a hopeful specimen. 



