120 THE HUNTING-FIELD. 



qucntly, the selling out at such price^ though it 

 may be loss^ is not sacrifice. 



This brings me to the particular point where 

 so many persons^ really fair judges of horses too, 

 so daily err : they go to a dealer, of whom, in a 

 certain sense, it may be said, as I have heard 

 said of a very fashionable one, " He will not 

 open his mouth under 200/. at least." The buyer 

 is asked prices varying from 150/. to 200/., till, 

 having taken one at 140/., he begins to think that 

 the minimum price of a horse of any promise. 

 He does not, for some reason, like his purchase ; 

 ishows him to a friend, who, if conversant in such 

 matters, most probably tells him he considers his 

 purchase worth one half the price given, and very 

 probably is able to say, " I can show you tw^o or 

 three at that price better horses, and that would 

 suit you better." Now, suppose the purchaser sold 

 his horse at 70/., and took the other at the same 

 price ; he would fancy he had made a sacrifice of 

 70/., whereas in point of fact he made no sacrifice 

 at all ; he got the value of his horse, though not 



Mr. 's price. Most likely, instead of this, 



he returns to the original seller, gives 30/. or 40/. 

 to boot, and gets another horse that perhaps he 

 does not like, or likes better. " Well," he says, 

 " this is better than sacrificing 70/. by selling my 

 first horse ; if I have given more money, I have 

 got a horse worth more." These ifs are very de- 



