24 THE STUD. 



not what he wanted, and, being a very near man 

 in money matters, he could not find it in his heart 

 to go and give the seller a proper premium to 

 take the animal back. Return him he could not, 

 for he was all he was represented to be. He was 

 thus, as Jonathan says, " in a fix ; " but those who 

 are disposed to employ his agency can generally 

 find a certain gentleman in black (I do not mean 

 a lawyer) at their elbow ready to give them a 

 hint. This individual, however, was, in this par- 

 ticular case, otherwise habited, namely, in a stable 

 dress; in short, he was the gentleman's groom, 

 who, not having probably been fee'd to his con- 

 tent, undertook to return the horse, and stated to 

 his honourable master the m.eans by which it was 

 to be effected. He, with ingenuity enough, drew 

 a nail from the horse-shoe, drove the same nail 

 in again (for a fresh one would have led to imme- 

 diate detection) a little too close to the sensible 

 part of the foot. Of course the next day the 

 horse was lame, and was sent back, the rascal 

 vowing to the dealer he remarked he was a " lame 

 nn " the second day after " master bought him." 

 What was the dealer to do. To go into court 

 against a man not a dealer was certain condemn- 

 ation. The very wig the judge might wear would 

 decide against the seller, from knowing the head 

 it usually covered would " a tort et a travers " do 

 the same thing ; then to offend a man of the pur- 



