46 CONFESSIONS OF A HOBSE DEALEB. 



" I'll go and look at them," said the coper. 



They were put in the carriage, and the coper drove 

 them himself at a rapid rate, and when the (to him) 

 well-known music was at its height he ramped them 

 into the yard. 



" These horses are ruined, sir, from some cause or 

 other, and recently too, for I met your late coachman 

 yesterday, and he told me they were all right," said 

 the coper. 



" Could the man be induced to come back, think 

 you?" 



" We'll try to persuade him to do so." 



A week or two passed over without coming to any 

 amicable arrangement with Tommy, during which the 

 victim became heartily sick of his musical horses. The 

 coper called upon him to say that Tommy had entered 

 upon another situation, and enquired how the horses 

 were getting on " Very bad, indeed," said the gentle- 

 man. " Better exchange them for the other pair,*' said 

 the coper. This advice was taken, and the horses ex- 

 changed places. One hundred guineas more are also 

 transferred from the victim's account to the exchequer 

 of the coper, as the difference in price, with the under- 

 standing that if that pair did not suit, he was to have 

 his money back, less ten guineas for the use of both 

 pairs. This made a total of 240 guineas paid to tho 

 coper, for which the victim had a pair of horses con- 

 siderably worse than the first pair ; for their infirmity 

 was visible, whereas in the others it was invisible, and, 

 of course, better for coping purposes. 



