THE DEALER. 115 



what had laboured under suspicion of being a weak 

 place was disquieting. 



" A very useful little horse, that, sir, I should say — 

 especially when it isn't too heavy going ? " was his com- 

 mendation, and it sounded very like an adverse criticism. 

 "For a cramped country that is just the stamp of horse 

 I like." 



Now we do not consider our country cramped ; the 

 adjective " useful " seemed to me to fall far short of my 

 steed's deserts, and the reservation about the too heavy 

 going, particularly when taken in conjunction with the 

 term " little," meant, if it meant anything, that the 

 animal was overweighted. In common with many of 

 my species, I entertain views as to the value of my own 

 opinion, as opposed to the opinions of the world in 

 general, which — well, which perhaps my friends don't 

 share with me. Still, the judgment of a man who rode 

 like the Major was not to be despised, and when I saw 

 his eye wander once more to that hind-leg I began to 

 feel doubts and dissatisfactions in striking contrast to 

 the sentiment of serene content I had experienced as I 

 rode that morning into the field. 



" That black-and-white hound has it. No r Yes I " 

 he suddenly exclaimed, as a whimper half-way between 

 a query and an assertion drew affirmative responses 

 from the pack, and they crashed through a thorn fence. 

 " Surely that boy of mine doesn't mean to have those 

 rails ?" he cried, as the chestnut mare went straight for 

 some excessively ugly timber rather out of the line 



I 2 



